The blue of the sky lives forever
like the bush
With its harsh light and skies that harrow lamely
across the dry plains
Constant – so constant
We nearly went mad
Watching the sky – waiting- always waiting
The sameness of heat – never letting up
Watching my father by the gate
Smoking – looking – hoping
Sometimes the clouds would muster overhead
Bringing hope
So often they broke above our land and disappeared
Yet, we all carried on – there was no choice
Old ewes unable to feed their young – chicken hawks
gauging out their eyes
Dams drying out
No water for the garden – Mum watching her efforts
wither and die
Dad screaming if she used the hose – downing another scotch
Madness again
The fridge would shudder under the heat
Wet blankets thrown over her – keep her alive
We’d make ice-cream
As kids on a mattress in front of the only bon-air
we’d do school
Waiting for the spit of water that sometimes came
And dried so quickly
Kangaroos lying limply around the house
You could pat them
They were to weak to move
Then you’d smell it and rush outside
Always in the evening
The smell of moisture – somewhere
Its sweetness left you breathless
As you sucked in its rich aroma
God! – It’s going to rain
The horses racing madly around the paddock
Tossing their manes
Sniffing the air
The power would shut down
As lightning and thunder struck
Candles brought out
Kids running under their beds
The sound of rain hitting the tin roof
Slashing its way through the gauze
Soaking the verandah
Mum shutting the verandah blinds
Smiles on faces that weren’t usually there
Hope had come for a while
Until it dried out again
And once more, put us on the line
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