Driving home from Weldborough
Taking the back road at the top of the Pass,
The air was thick with moisture
Misty rain was delicate, but didn't last.
The mist started to clear on descent
Past the quarry and over Crystal Creek,
The trees were glistening with raindrops
As the low cloud clung to the peaks.
Then suddenly I was startled by an Emu
That shot out from the old Liberator mine,
It charged off in front of the car
Its legs strutting long and in perfect time.
But the Tasmanian Emu is extinct
What was it doing up here.
No camera to record the incident
No one will believe me, I swear.
The Emu legged it at break neck pace
Forty kilometers as I descended downhill,
Glancing its head I caught its eye
But it run on with an Emu's will.
Crossing over the swift running Groom
It skidded right into the old bridge track,
Then doubled back up the hill behind me
It stood to catch its breath as I walked back.
As I moved closer it crossed the river
Into the bush from whence it came,
An escaped pet I wagered as I got into the car
Continuing home as it started to rain.
Ian Matthews.
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5 comments:
I've been waiting for you to post this, Ian, so I could comment! John and I enjoyed your reading of it so much at the meeting. I like the way the first two stanzas set up a sense of place, followed by the drama of the emu 'that shot out from the old Liberator mine'.
Terrific poem. Thank you.
Ever since you read out this poem at our last meeting Ian I have thought of and pondered about your emu. The poem immediately engaged me - and hasn't let me go ever since. I picture myself on the road down from Weldborough, looking for emu tracks, searching the hills for signs of this mysterious bird, wondering how it comes to be there and how it survives in such an unlikely environment. With perfect pace, urgency and intrigue you have lodged in my mind a poem that shows no sign of fading.
The Emu was indeed a pet,it escaped from the Lowth's at Goulds Country and was at large for 5 weeks.I saw it again,this time in it's paddock.I recognised that emu eye.Apparently others had seen it too,at large, on the Blue Tier.Starvation must have led the bird home.The Happenstance lead to a poem which I'm pleased was enjoyed. Ian
Very enjoyable Ian. Captured the essence of happenstance. Trish
Both Jan and I caught a glimpse of that Emu charging away into the bush on the road near Weldborough. Now, could it have been a thing that the bird was presenting itself for just such a person as Ian who might write a few lined and cast it in an everlasting light?
Not only does the poem give a great description of the encounter and the birds escape but also the surprise Ian enjoyed by the meeting.
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