ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

RAIN AND ROON

“We’ll all be rooned” wrote Hartigan
“in accents most forlorn “.
Those words came back to haunt us
on that grey and sodden dawn.

Of course, a dry land welcomes rain
but rain had come to stay,
the creeks gushed over, gutters ran
and gardens washed away.

All through the shops a river sluiced
where rivers shouldn’t go
and boats were launched to cross the street
for salvage from the flow.

We watched the water rising fast
all day and all the night.
“We’ll all be rooned, said Hanrahan”
Well! Hanrahan was right.

That's great Neville, Covered the whole picture without wasting a word.
And it stuck to the correct script as well.

I seem to have a mind that is easily distracted onto other things, that aren't even about the subject at hand.

cheers

Terry

Oh, this is great, Neville! In just four stanzas you paint the picture so clearly, and with excellent lines such as:

All through the shops a river sluiced
where rivers shouldn’t go

This is such a clear image of the flood, also evoking emotions with some dialogue at the same time - well done!

Hear! Hear! Totally agree with the others, Neville. In addition to the lines Catherine liked, I also like the image of the "grey and sodden dawn".

What's more, you have absolutely perfect metre in this poem. That is not easy to achieve, as we all know. I seem to remember you once saying that you didn't feel you were in the league of bush poetry winners. Well, just keep doing what you've done in this poem and you will be!

Oh I love it Neville - well done you, and great to link in that old classic as well, gives a great connectivity to you poem and I totally agree with Catherine and Shelley - those lines are excellent

Thanks Terry, I reckon that if your thinking wanders around in different directions that is a good thing.

Thanks Catherine, Les Murray said that prose is description but poetry is presence. I keep that saying in mind, one day I might get there.

Thanks Shelley, Thanks for the encouragement.


Thanks Maureen, I debated for some time with myself, how to reference a classic work without plagiarism.