BLACK JAM .. Maureen Clifford © The #ScribblyBarkPoet
The greatest Aussie Icon is one of which we boast.
It sits on the breakfast table and you have it on your toast.
It’s something very Aussie, something consumed with élan.
but Yanks just cannot understand our passion for black jam.
It’s salty and delicious, puts a rose in every cheek.
It’s the first thing that we search for if OS for just a week.
We post it off to ex pats with Golden Syrup and Tim Tams,
and a gum leaf for the Billy Tea. Sometimes a tin of Spam.
No one has the passion that we have for Vegemite.
The Pommies have their Bonox, not the same but it’s alright.
But the good old Aussie Vegemite has a myriad of uses.
For flavouring up a stew, to healing rough shearer's abuses.
Aussie kids grow up on it, from the time they start to teethe.
We seem to have a love affair which no one else perceives.
So whilst other lands have Icons that perhaps inspire delight -
our greatest Aussie Icon is a jar of Vegemite.
The word got out - Aussie it aint’ – no longer our true blue
it went with Uncle Toby to another country – true.
Lucky dog went there with them with his Pals and a few Chums
they all left the Golden Circle and took the Victa from Mums.
But Bega to the rescue and to our shores it returned,
they bought back good old Vegemite - it was no longer spurned
The Yankees never got it - they had issues with the folate.
Aussies never did, 'cause we don't turn our backs on old mates.
So our 'black jam's' safely home again upon our Aussie shore,
and we love it - yes we love it - we keep saying "more, more, more''
and I wonder is that because it's a side product of beer?
If that's so - then what's more fitting that to raise a toast and cheer.
*** Just in case anyone is wondering about this line ...
When out on the property at shearing time we always had a jar in the shed of equal quantities of vegemite and raw honey and whenever a sheep got nicked during the shearing process, we would slap on this thick , sticky paste which would guarantee the wound healed cleanly and quickly with no infection or flystrike. Didn't work as well on the dogs as they would lick it off of each other, but worked equally as well on humans. My old Mum used to nurse at Eventide and one of the old Doctors there, also swore on this bush remedy to heal bed sores and ulcers on elderly patients. Doubt it would be approved today of course but look at the ingredients. Salt has always been recognized as a good cleanser for wounds and helps to dry them up, and people pay huge amounts for Manuka honey these days for its anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory propertieshealing rough shearer's abuses.
