‘Blue’s Didgeridoo’ by David Watt

From the stations they sent out a call
To their jillaroo friends – one and all;
For an overnight camp, while the sky bore the stamp
Of a cloudless day darkened from view.

So they came in farm utes, with their dogs:
Kitted out in their boots, working togs;
And they lit a campfire, letting flickers inspire
Tales of station life – some of them true!

And the girls placed their boots in a pile
To relieve their tired toes for a while;
While each dog roamed about, and with curious snout
Found the mischief they thought was their due.

One young dog, name of “Blue,” loved a game,
And that night his play led him to fame;
For he took every boot, without girl in pursuit,
And he stowed them where nobody knew;

And the place that he chose was a log,
Straight and hollow – just right for a dog
To deposit within, boots well-heeled, some worn thin,
Where the gaggle of girls had no clue!

When the jillaroos saw their demise
They could scarcely believe their own eyes!
Though they searched, shod in socks, under bushes and rocks,
Not a trace of their footwear showed through.

And in cattle-dog style, cunning “Blue”
Rested paws over ears, saw it through;
Until, tender of feet, they admitted defeat –
For there wasn’t much else they could do!

And they say, when the wind blows just right,
Through that log on a Kimberley night;
Those elasticised sides, hidden safely inside,
Resonate like a didgeridoo.

Glossary of Terms:

Jillaroo – A young woman in training on a sheep or cattle station in Australia.
Ute – Utility vehicle with a pick-up tray at the rear.
Kimberley – the sparsely settled Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Didgeridoo – a wind instrument developed by indigenous Australians.

David Watt is a writer from Canberra, the “Bush Capital” of Australia. He has contributed regularly to Collections of Poetry and Prose by Robin Barratt. When not working for IP (Intellectual Property) Australia, he finds time to appreciate the intrinsic beauty of traditional rhyming poetry.