ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Had a phone call this morning asking me to write a short poem for a meeting tomorrow regarding Gas Fracking in our area.
The Yarragadee is a huge aquifer that extends from Geraldton well down past Perth, and is an important part of the regions watersupply - over which they are now allowing oil and gas companies to frack.

I had to keep it short, but I am thinking of expanding on it later to include more details. And please excuse the near rhyme I have used - it hasn't been 'polished' as yet 'cause I rang out of time!!

Yarragadee
© Irene Conner 21.09.12

Thousands of years ago nature gave birth
to a beautiful jewel in the heart of the earth;
silent, majestic, with beauty untouched,
Mother earth, to her bosom, this treasure she clutched.

Yarragadee, you continued to grow
and sustain all above you with each ebb and flow.
Gentle hands took with respect what you gave,
but now there are those who attempt to enslave.

Handle with care the lifeblood of our state;
we do not inherit, we only caretake.
When we are left with no water to share,
who’ll explain to our children – “They just didn’t care!”

Fracking is such a big issue for agriculture. Luckily for us we don't appear to have gas nearby, but I really fear for our aquifers if we don't get these things under control. Good on you Irene.
Robyn

I know how you feel Irene, I live right in one of the biggest open cut coal mining areas, we need to exploit resources I suppose but the price seems to be getting too high.


I can't see any near rhymes, it all looks perfect to me.
Even if you did use near rhymes you don't need to apologise. The passion of the poetry is what counts. Poetic expression is the cake, rhyme is only the thin icing on the cake. Trust me, I learnt that from real poets.

Yes, fracking has created a huge issue in America - to the point that the farmers can no longer farm their land, and, in some areas, the companies who did the fracking are carting drinking water to the communities. There are thousands and thousands of fracking wells littering the horizon over there, and polluting the groundwater.
The problem with the fracking they are doing, are they are pumping hundreds of litres of chemicals into the earth with high powered water pressure to fracture the earth and release the gas, but the chemicals are finding their way into the water tables because of the way the earth fractures, and rendering them unusable. I believe Queensland, and either NSW or Victoria, have finally stopped any fracking while they hold a moratorium on the practice, but WA have not got to that as yet. There is no legislation that controls them properly, and no one knows what chemicals are being pumped into the ground - because it is a 'trade secret!!' We have at least 3 lots of 'trial' wells within an hours travel of Jurien Bay - which is a worry - and already at one at least, they have cleared a lot more area than they have ever been given permission for.

Neville - I used 'state' and (care)'take' - which technically isn't a full rhyme because of the 't' and 'k', but it fits what I want!

Catchya
IRene

Works for me Irene.

G/day Irene,
Given the scarcity of water reserves in WA you have to wonder why this has been even considered, let alone be given approval to.

Terry

Fracking monkrels.