collaborative poem for May - keep it going

[Maureen K Clifford]

A famous poet once did say –
a young man’s fancy turns to love
and knowledge comes but wisdom lingers …
my thought’s more push leads to shove.
Five young farmers – true love lacking
dared to share all on TV …….
how for true love they were searching.
Aim for all – matrimony.

Brave, they came to meet the ladies
chosen for their attributes…
their compatibility
displayed in heels or cowboy boots.
Would a spark, spark with their meeting?
Would that spark flare into flame?
Or would romance wilt and wither?
Therein rests the romance game.
MKC

Now it would help I’m sure it’s true,
that if per chance I’d watched that show.
But none the less I’m always game,
to pick up pen and have a go.
And as I’ve known a girl or two -
though long ago I must admit.
With wooing days now far behind,
I must turn back the clock a bit.

I’m in my eighties still quite fit,
And have what you could call a farm.
Well, big backyard if truth be told,
but has some well-known old world charm
I’m out of practice with the chat,
But if the girls are keen to match.
and game to give romance a go,
I guess I could be quite a catch.
TEP

It wasn’t just the young bloods brave
Who put it out for all to see,
Some older gentlemen emerged
To risk a wild romantic spree,
And whilst some claimed failure at chat
‘twas noted they too owned a farm …..
Always a big chick magnet that.
Tread cautiously – promote your charm.

Now Mary, Margaret and Sue
Were country girls, wise to the ways
That farmers think – Oh yes they were
On fairy tales they’d not been raised.
But Jasmin was a city chick
Very high maintenance was she –
All doubted that she’d like farm life
But time will tell – as soon we’ll see.
MKC

So, one she thought, the older gent
would be her target on the show,
for his backyard farm was perfect
to suit her scheme to strike a blow!
Though what she did not comprehend
was he’d worked hard for all he had,
and genuine love is from the heart!
and he sensed false intentions bad!

For comes to light his property,
when saying, ‘welcome to my backyard’!
means, the vast gemfields of the West
(just like Russ Coight’s in that regard!)
And years, of gold prospecting had
entrenched life's values so you see,
‘gold diggers’ he’d sort out real quick
and that’s in all …reality!
R.B.

Old Jack the senior contender
he of four score years plus more
decided he would show her round
his acres in his four by four.
She ooed and aahed whilst bounced around
along the rutted outback tracks,
expressed delight in all she saw
and claimed to love the station hacks.

“Where are the boundaries Jack dear’’
Jasmin enquired “I see nowhere
a fence to indicate the end
and oh the landscape is so bare”
‘‘My boundaries the ocean blue
and the deep indigo of sky
the red soil just goes on forever’’
was Jack’s facetious reply.
MKC

‘Well, that’s all fine and dandy’, thought
the lady from “The Smoke”,
but where are friends and neighbours
of this ancient country bloke?
There’s nothing here for miles around
as far as I can tell,
I’ll have to change his attitudes
to dodge a living hell!

Though sacrifices must be made
when living in the scrubs,
I’ll miss all the attention,
entertainment, restaurants, clubs!
But keep on smiling, bait the hook;
that money will be grand!’
(Yet Jack was wise to anyone
who coveted his land).
CL

Jack chuckled to himself again,
this Sheila thinks she’s really cool,
She hasn’t got a clue you know,
so now he’ll act the flamen fool.
She asks then where his house might be
and is it very far from here.
So then he has to break the news,
I have a mobile home my dear!

A look of near despair then danced
across her sweet and lovely face.
And said she wanted to go home,
she though he was a darn disgrace.
So Jack then knew he must be quick
and have a plan to keep her there.
so flashes then a hunk of gold,
and said, my sweet, it’s yours to wear.
TEP

The ‘carats’ dangled did the trick
because her soul was stirred with greed,
and she saw nought but dollar signs
so common sense she did not heed!
For if this was just a sample
of Jack’s hidden, possible wealth
she’d persevere the adverse times
to help support her game of stealth!

But then it got so much harder
for Jack’s old mobile home was rough!
It had all that a bushman needs,
but just suited the hard and tough!
And it wasn’t really long at all
that it shocked and rattled her soul
when she found, that Jack’s basic loo”
was ...a shovel and dunny roll!
R.B.

Somewhat offput discovering this,
with really nowhere else to go
the city chick gritted her teeth
keeping close watch for snakes below.
She justified it to herself
remembering that Jack had wealth.
She’d ascertain the state of play
using her wiles and female stealth.

When asked the question quite sweetly
as to just how much gold he’d found,
old Jack turned cagey, merely said
that he’d found most just lying around
He hadn’t found old Lasseter’s Reef -
suspected it was just a yarn.
His gold was all stored in his teeth
where it was safe from thieves and harm.
MKC

Jack thought he’d better tell her now,
about the beauty to be found.
With stunning sunsets she must see,
and feel the silence all around.
Then nights beneath the starry skies,
was sure to melt her little heart.
And help forget the flies and dust,
and all those creepies for a start.

He knew that he’d gone overboard,
when showing her the flam’en gold.
She won’t shut up about it now -
and that’s no matter what’s she’s told.
he should have shown a smaller piece,
perhaps an ounce or two or less.
Instead he had to show off there,
while trying hard to then impress.
TEP

And Jack had reason for concern
though not realizing at the time,
in the backstreets of a big city
there was, a petty crook in crime!
Jaz’s boyfriend! (he was puppeteer)
who’d schemed this all from way, way back
but, as turned out he was no match!
for cagey, wily bushman Jack!

As there was no mobile service,
out in that far backcountry bush,
from Jasmin, he had not heard,
so found it a pain in the tush!
With thoughts of being double crossed
His moods turned to a filthy black!
Until with revenge on his mind,
he ventured to the great outback!
R.B.

His first mistake – a big one too
only a city bloke would make
He underestimated who
Would fuel his vehicle …big mistake
He drove one of those fancy cars
about which all the greenies raved
An EV vehicle. They claimed
if used would see the whole world saved.

His second error – oh such woe
was that his fancy shiny car
had a suspension far too low
for corrugated roads, and so
it banged and scraped, and crunched and dragged…
at small creek crossings nearly drowned,
so ‘fore he’d even travelled far
that crim wished he had stayed in town.
MKC