ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Sorry this is late. I have been pondering whether to post or not! I have just finished reading the 10 page discussion on rhyme and metre and it made me even more skittish!

The Tracks of Life………Dot Church Jan 2017

I lived in suburbia near the railway line
Where the boundaries of life were hard to define
Where the life-blood of families was the train;
unless the line was washed out by summer rain.

Then the basics of life would be in short supply
And all the youngsters near and far would wonder why
their Grandma or Aunty would not have arrived
with sweets and gifts. Us kids felt quite deprived.

Later we visited the bush far from the train
through vast scrub and land to a cow- cockie’s domain.
Tranquillity resided there throughout the land;
not all folk feel this and thus fail to understand.

Those times, I missed the haunting sound of trains at night.
Loving the darkness with only moon or stars for light.
The lowing of cattle at dusk and breaking dawn;
the running of the horses in the early morn.

Sadly, the wheels of time turn swiftly; life moves on.
The children grow and marry and soon they are gone.
So once again we’re on the train moving along so fast
Where all’s a rush and bustle in this city so vast.

And my thoughts fly to home by the old railway track
As all the many memories come flooding back!
Life is hard as we stumble, fall and find our way;
but the good times are nestled in our hearts to stay.

Don't ever be wary of posting anything here Dot - this little bit of the forum isn't about everything being perfect - it is a spot where hopefully your muse gets a nudge, where you write about things you would never have considered left to your own devices. It is where you are, to a degree, disciplining your writing to follow set prompts - but more than that - it is where you are sharing your writing with friends who may point out an error or make a suggestion, fix up a spelling mistake and will always offer encouragement.

Nothing is so bad that it can't be shared here and nothing is too good to be shared here. We share the poetry, the insights, the dreams and the love...as we travel the tracks of life

A lovely reminisce about childhood - when life was simpler and perhaps even happier, despite families having very little in the way of material things. You can't put a price on memories like those Dot. Your poem takes us back in a walk through time - when families did the hard yards, where isolation from family and friends was very real. The world today is so small and gratification for most things is instant which is why today's generation of kids get bored so quickly with everything. They don't have imagination - we were the lucky ones - we did - maybe that is why so many of our generation are poets. We can see the 'seen' behind the scene and the good times are nestled in our hearts to stay.

Thanks for your kind words Maureen. I have made a New Year Resolution, well just a resolve, to write more this year.
Your topics for the next two weeks are very interesting though! I use 'interesting' loosely. Thanks again

Dot

I prefer 'challenging' Dot but maybe 'interesting' is the more appropriate term!
The prompts are always thought provoking though.

Love your poem. I grew up in the bush but the sentiment is the same.

Thanks Owly. I grew up in a small suburb but my sister when married, lived on a large property and I've had many fights with those Cocky's gates.
The sound of the trains always seemed very haunting to me and I have two daughters in Victoria so have gotten used to the bigger railway stations. Love 'em all!

Cheers

Dot

Hello Dot

Sorry for my delay in joining the conversation - I've been quite ill with a bronchial virus - very yukky in summer especially!

I love your reminiscing poem - the railway is a favourite interest of mine. Wherever we travel, Rod and I always look for the railway station and are always interested in its history.

We've also made it a bit of a mission to travel as many historic railways as we can.

Funnily enough - I don't have any poems about trains or railways! Mmmm ....

Cheers
Shelley