More Jottings from Down Under!

Forget the bushfires and fierce heat

Australia’s Top End has wet feet

As storms and floods on map are shown

With the Red Centre – a damp zone!

 

On ANZAC day - at dawn - crowds wait:

The Last Post sounds on silent state

Where volunteers for distant king*

Knew patriotism was the thing.

 

Not all returned from overseas …

A whole generation grieves;

Yet ghosts of veterans live on

Accompanying post-COVID throng…

 

In a reflective mood, with friend

A pleasant two-hour walk I spend

By scenic, tranquil Minno Creek

Where bold white gums form arched retreat.

 

Here cars are few in rural lanes:

Blue skies, no clouds, no passing planes

The outback beckons on parched land

Leaf-litter decorates dirt sand …

 

Warm autumn sun shines on my plate

In inner courtyard, tea and cake!

I pause a moment, lost in wonder

At the laid-back lifestyle of “Down Under”!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* King George V.

Minno Creek near Belair Park, South Australia

 

News of Old Friends

Sudden news of long-lost friends

A glow of sweet nostalgia sends;

What happened to those youthful faces?

Life has put them through their paces…

 

Older, wiser, rough with smooth

How has each fared in his groove?

Well-travelled, widowed, or divorced

Some lucky ones have stayed the course!

 

Each soul has had his share of thrills

And, in his unique style, fills

Each chapter in his special way;

Reunions find them on display!

 

Our mind’s eye sees them as they were

With youthful hopes devoid of care;

Though time has left its tell-tale mark

For us, they still retain their spark!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

 

 

The Australian State of Play

Australian news gives pride of place

To the election which ups pace

As every State airs its sound bite;

How will it all go - on the night*?

 

The Sydney flood, feared climate change;

More immigrants? The topics range

Across the spectrum: cost of wages,

While the housing shortage here engages.

 

Media hype, 'fair dinkum' pay

And the First Nation’s role today;

A pot pourri of COVID measures

On board cruise ships, curtailed pleasures …

 

Though mask-wearing is advised

The Big Island, seeming wise,

Claims this is a personal choice

So, Easter dawns with cautious voice.

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* 21st May, 2022

News: Cruise ships return to Australia after an over 2-year hiatus.

 

Curtains!

Good Friday under Southern skies:

A cacophony of birdsong cries

No cars, no humans – a surprise

Just aircon hum;

I stroll along straight leafy streets

Past empty driveways, quiet retreats

Where wheelie-bins are lined up neat;

In sight - no one…

 

Faded awnings, sun-burnt dry

”No junk mail” signs as I go by

Carports open to the sky

But not a soul;

Yet, Via Dolorosa thrill:

Families on pavements mill

And nearby churches start to fill

As lone bells toll.

 

City of Churches – Adelaide

Come-as-you-are now on parade

Sartorial splendour not displayed

It’s so laid back;

Hymns loudly sung with on-stage band

The well-known story – God as Man

For whom the cruellest death is planned

To re-enact.

 

The centurion who watched it all …

The sponge with bitter-tasting gall …

The crowds of followers in awe

Of this event;

In excruciating pain

This sacrifice was not in vain

The temple curtain split in twain

Proof of intent …

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

Adelaide - in Sombre Mood

Cool change today and misty sky;

These autumn temperatures belie

Our notion of Australia’s heat

Still jet-lagged – but in sandalled feet!

 

Trip on the local “Red Hen” train

Colliding clouds but still - no rain!

Parched landscape, corrugated roofs

Where eucalypts make graceful moves…

 

Stringy bark, mass twig debris

Level crossings – traffic-free!

At Goodwood Showground – not a soul;

At Mile End - mile-long wagons roll …

 

Rail-borne cargo Interstate

Cheap and efficient – no debate

But passengers indeed are few

In my carriage one or two…

 

One tram stop leads to Rundle Mall

Where pigeons flock in free-for-all

Ubiquitous – so no surprise

A brand-new artwork giant-size!

 

Some shops have given up the ghost

Because of COVID, they are toast!

By Haigh chocolates, tourist mecca

No souvenirs till trade gets better!

 

Vast clothes reductions, racks unsold

The buzz that once was here, grows old

As shoppers stroll on by, be-masked

All consumer frenzy past … 

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

A new Adelaide icon since 2020

Today's Kookaburra News!

Viewed from Down Under, news is skewed;

Here ScoMo’s* in election mood

 In trademark blue tie, tarmac greet

His Sydney-Canberra trip is sweet.

 

Though locals clamour for a date

The P.M. will not speculate;

In other news: persistent rains

Engulf Sydney, flooding plains…

 

Formula One now picks up pace

 As Melbourne gears up for “The Race”;

Matildas, not the Walzing kind,

Prove women’s sports not left behind!

 

Blown-up ammunition dump,

With other foreign news is clumped

Sri Lanka’s riots briefly viewed;

Lahore votes for a change of dude!**

 

Outside - the sunshine lights my day

Against blue skies, where breezes play

As a different sort of syncopation

Stirs and regulates this Nation!

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

* Scott Morrison  - Australia's  P.M.

** from Imran Kahn to Shehbaz Sharif

Travelling Thoughts

Massive queues at check-in desk

All armed, one hopes, with COVID test

Eager children climb on cases

Labelled to exotic places.

 

Passengers sport scarf and coat

As springtime sunshine seems remote

Given Brussels April snows

Many still pack winter clothes!

 

The Gates fill up; long chats on ’phone

With fond farewells, each to his own.

I gaze at those who’ll share my flight

Who will my partners be tonight?

 

Random souls with disparate aim

Through Europe, Middle East, Bahrain

Touch down at Doha’s sand-blown shore:

Upmarket, bright-lit shopping mall.

 

Time’s on the wing, the phrase is apt;

 Our energy by heat is sapped

A painless check-in, clockwork staff;

On board we follow new flight path.

 

More food, lights dimmed, we try to doze

Encased in blankets head to toes,

With on-screen entertainment vast

The lonely night time hours are passed.

 

Crossing time-zones takes its toll

Enjoying mini-naps my goal

 As I meditate in silver bird

How high-flown ideals are absurd…

 

How things seem distant when aloft

How life below, so tempest-tossed

Appears to me from bird’s eye view

A mass of images untrue.

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

 

A Blanket of Snow

What’s with this sudden, freak snow show?

We wrap up warm our cheeks aglow

And trudge through landscapes frosted white;

But this is April! Hold on tight!

 

Weather charts from yesteryear

Prove this phenomenon’s not rare

And yet, we’re taken by surprise

When snowflakes greet us when we rise!

 

Those flurries vanish, leave no trace …

Today, oh joy, a sunny face!

On close inspection, now I find

Wisteria’s purple buds have climbed

 

Along the branches I thought dead!

Yes, Spring is forging straight ahead;

In window boxes – tendrils green

That snow blanket made them keen! 

(c) Poet in the woods 2022

April 1st-2nd, 2022