THE UNLIKELY CANDIDATE

[Jeff Thorpe]

THE UNLIKELY CANDIDATE

It’s not too hard to spot ‘em, there’s one in every race,
bit short of a gallop, not quite on the pace,
though now and then one gets up, their stories captivate
so, think twice before you write off an unlikely candidate.

Prime example comes to mind, 2015 Melbourne Cup,
Prince of Penzance romped it in, the punters sold a pup,
hundred to one roughie, the bookies loved this steed
plus, a shiela rode it, a complete unlikely deed.

And didn’t Michelle Payne give misogynists a serve
inviting them to get stuffed took a lot of nerve
but, winners are grinners, her speech advanced her cause
judging by the booming and sustained applause.

2015 once again, Queensland State Election,
a modern day equivalent of Lazarus’ resurrection,
Annastacia Palaszczuk, who’da given her a chance,
wouldn’a placed a bet on her in any circumstance.

Soundly trounced in 2012 by seventy-one seats,
Labor looked forever to be the easy beats,
to rise again in just three years, accomplish a mandate,
never underestimate an unlikely candidate.

Remember Steven Bradbury of ice skating fame,
Salt Lake City Winter Olympics was where he made his name,
have to be the chief unlikely winner of gold medal,
didn’t even have to press the pedal to the metal.

Steve etched his name in history through astonishing good luck
when his competition’s race plans came unstuck,
literally last man standing when all opposition fell,
Bradbury’s win quite the stuff that fairy stories tell.

Let’s go back to ’93, all Oz going to the polls,
an election based largely on cost of cakes and sausage rolls,
Keating‘s government on the nose and Tories tipped to win
until Hewson couldn’t clarify proposed GST spin.

Doubt cast in the voters’ minds how tax would work on food
that ultimately saw the coalition’s run unglued.
Result described by Keating as “sweetest victory of all”,
almost tongue in cheek about this unlikely windfall.

Hot off the presses, Oz Open 2016,
saw the dethroning of the women’s tennis queen,
Serena Williams agin another lamb led to the slaughter,
until her normal dominance slowly went to water.

Angelique Kerber, in Grand Slam Final debut
saw Serena at last, bite off more that she could chew,
arguably the best ever ladies’ tennis match played,
unlikely winner Angelique no longer a bridesmaid.

History is dotted with tales like these I’ve mentioned,
those who’ve tasted victory by fluke though well intentioned,
and there’ll be more to come, the most unlikely well secreted,
it’s not uncommon in this world to see history repeated.


Jeff Thorpe © 31 January 2016