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    Collected Australian Verse
    Collected Australian Verse
    Collected Australian Verse
    Ebook149 pages43 minutes

    Collected Australian Verse

    By Len Kloosman

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    About this ebook

    Despite the fact that most of this collection is about Australia, it must not be seen or judged to be an effort to emulate the classical Australian bush bards and other poets. This is as I saw Australia through very South African eyes while also attempting to adopt the spirit and vernacular of the country when I arrived here in 1978. Suffice it to say that the two countries share some amazing and unexpected similarities. But then there are also some equally amazing differences. It's a case of the differences and similarities having equal shock and surprise value.

    “Where's the outback?!? You must be joking, Mate?”
    “The Black Stump is somewhere far and away –"
    “Fifty miles other side of Black Stump,
    “Deep in that God-forsaken outback...”
    “The building should have been condemned
    All of a good twenty-five years ago – ”
    “Hill and far distant mountain
    Echo back a forlorn call”
    “Over two hours have passed
    Of winding up hill, down dale,”
    “This is a sunburnt country -- we are told:
    Baking in the sun's malignant rays...”

    This is the down-under land I’ve adopted and lived in for over 30 years, a fascinating land on the other side of the world. Turn the pages and feel the myths of this down-under land.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLen Kloosman
    Release dateOct 11, 2014
    ISBN9781310950544
    Collected Australian Verse

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      Book preview

      Collected Australian Verse - Len Kloosman

      Where's the outback?!? You must be joking, Mate?

      It's all very simple and so plain --

      That is, if you would bother to use your brain!

      The outback is in every Aussie state!

      Leave any city or town, and it's there --

      It's waiting there, right in front of your eyes,

      Soaking up the sun under clear blue skies;

      As wide as the heavens, with room to spare!

      Where's the outback?!? You must be joking, Mate?

      It's out back there of those distant mountains,

      The other side of those rivers and fountains --

      You'll find it just this side of Heaven's gate!

      It's the place where the white crow flies backwards,

      And where the dingoes sing O Solo Mia

      With the rising moon over Riverina --

      But get this straight, no way are we backwards!

      Where's the outback?!? You must be joking, Mate?

      Remove the smog-permeated cities,

      The parliaments and their committees,

      And it's the entire Australian state!

      It is the complete Never-neverland;

      It is the distant land of the Dream-time;

      It's paradise on a scale sublime ....

      It's the Great Australian Wonderland!

      Where's the outback?!? You must be joking, Mate?

      Just keep going, and you simply can't miss it!

      So you keep on going, searching every bit:

      Next bloke you meet says, You've just emerged, Mate!

      I tell you it's here, there, every-bloody-where!

      You'll always find it out back and beyond ...

      Now, please Mate, don't think you're being conned,

      I know it is where it is, Mate, I swear!

      ----------------------------------

      Wood's Pump Road

      It is on the other side of Black Stump

      That you clatter along the worst tracks

      Winding on past sheds and deserted shacks

      To the little village of Wood's Pump.

      It's not the sort of place one visits often,

      Because it is right off the beaten track --

      In the very heart of the outback --

      Almost deserted and forgotten.

      It's a gruelling fifty miles getting there

      By the worst roads man's ever created --

      Most of them have never been map-rated,

      (Not that the locals would bother or care!)

      I would advise that you don't drive too fast

      Since the scenery is pretty good

      (Discounting the spinifex and scrub wood);

      Besides, you do want your car to last!

      It's really quite an obstacle course.

      The chances are you could collect a ding,

      And if you're not lucky, a broken spring.

      It's a case of: when in doubt, rather pause!

      To say the least, surprises abound

      In the form of blind curves and blind rises;

      While pot-holes and stones of all sizes

      Cover almost every inch of the ground.

      There is at least one flooded causeway;

      The overhanging cliffs deserve mention;

      And take care with your car's suspension;

      Remember, animals have the right of way.

      Though it is a battle mile after mile,

      You will arrive in that little dump

      In the middle of the outback -- Wood's Pump.

      Rest assured, the journey is worthwhile.

      ---------------------------------

      Wood's Pump

      Fifty miles other side of Black Stump,

      Deep in that God-forsaken outback

      You drive along the bone-rattling track

      Which in the end takes you to Wood's Pump.

      It's the sort of place you can't miss --

      Unless you're driving with your eyes closed,

      Or perhaps fallen asleep or dozed --

      A thought you would easily dismiss.

      Be warned, you could pass it in a sneeze,

      Because the place is so small

      That it does not even rate a hall!

      Perhaps it is a village, if you please,

      But definitely no more than that!

      I have never seen it marked on maps,

      So it's in one of those

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