Ode to Can

Ode to Can.

There’s a four lettered word

As offensive as any

It holds back the few

Puts a stop to the many.

You can’t climb that mountain

You can’t cross the sea

You can’t become anything 

You want to be.

He can’t hit a century

They can’t find a cure.

She can’t think about leaving 

Or searching for more.

Because Can’t is a word 

With a habit of stopping

The ebb and the flow of ideas

It keeps dropping

Itself where we know

In our hearts it’s not needed

And saying “don’t go”

when we could have succeeded.

But those four little letters

That end with a T

They can change in an instant

When shortened to three.

We can take off the T

We can do it today

We can move forward not back

We can find our own way.

We can build we can run

We can follow the sun

We can push we can pull

We can say I’m someone

Who refuses to believe

That life can’t be better

With the removal of one

Insignificant letter.

Who else was intrigued by the bus shelters and billboards with the simple word 'CAN'T' over this past fortnight? I flew into Hobart on Thursday and noticed them plastered all over the Apple Isle as well. Too lazy to jump on my computer to look it up, I brainstormed with Bree to try and work out what it all meant.

It all made sense when Toni Collette appeared on our TV screen . . . and we were excited by her gorgeous little poem and 'storytime' approach.

But how disappointed I was to find out that this beautiful campaign and creative was for a BANK! Bree and I had guessed charities, kids' causes, Australian celebrations, arts and culture . . . but a BANK?!

What a waste of a brilliant idea! Hats off to M&C Saatchi for its creative genius, but I'm so disappointed it's been wasted on a bank.

Here's the full ad featuring the gorgeous (yet wasted) Toni Collette.


(And yes, I know what you're all going to say - it's done its job if people are talking about it . . . but I'm sure not switching banks because of it. Not after those horrific "determined to be different ads" with the bad American accents! I just would've loved it being used for good rather than a BANK!)