Winner, 2012 Bush Poetry Competition, Boyup Brook Country Music Festival, Boyup Brook, WA.
then stumble out still half asleep and shiver in the morning chill.
just as the morning chorus starts to echo out around the hill.
and soon the smell of toasted bread wafts through our camp to tantalize.
then watch the last stars fade away before the sun begins to rise.
and sunshine soon will flood the land and bathe the earth with warmth again.
and sparkle now like precious gems that brighten up this harsh terrain.
Then off we go to search for gold — an occupation for the bold.
My love and I for years have toiled and found enough to just survive.
reward enough this life out here where freedom blooms and dreamers thrive.
which spurs us on to search for more throughout a long and tiring day.
and then sit back, enjoy the views, and let our minds just drift away.
the breakaways and sun burnt plains, gnarled mulga trees and ghostly gums.
now warmed by beams of autumn sun, before the chill of winter comes.
with nuggets laying all around, just waiting for that special day.
persistence is the thing you need, then Lady Luck might smile your way.
We pause to watch the setting sun, then head for camp now day is done.
Excitedly we weigh our gold and see just what the scales reveal.
but first the oven’s placed on coals and left to slowly cook our meal.
and watch the red flushed fading glow give way to stars as night takes hold.
then while away an hour or two, before it’s bed and dreams of gold.
to wander over distant tracks away from towns and all their strife.
a husband and a caring wife, a perfect team that’s set for life.