ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Opal Mania

It could be worth a flam’en fortune; that’s for sure he said,
while peering at some scungy opal, showing bits of red.
And when I clean it up a bit she’ll look a million quid,
the buyers will come rushing out here, just to make a bid.

Now have a real good look old mate, is that a gem or not?
It’s promising I lied; he’d really put me on the spot.
To me it looked a pile of junk; but couldn’t tell him that,
old Bill was such a nice old chap who often came to chat.

He went away determined then to clean the buyers out
and promising we’d celebrate, and it would be his shout.
His eyes were fairly sparkling as he headed into town,
I wondered how he’d take it when the buyers turned him down.

The next time that I saw him, he was looking somewhat glum
and told me that the buyers there were just a bunch of scum.
They wouldn’t know gem opal if they stubbed it with their toe;
he’d not been backward telling them; just where they ought to go.

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© T.E. Piggott

Goodonya Terry. You got some inspiration from the homework.

Been a lot of supposed fortunes on the opal fields Terry, and many blokes with the optimism of your old mate there!
Actually heading out to Lightning Ridge, week after next but will be only wearing the tourist hat. Though what I will be doing that feels worth a fortune is soaking the bones in the hot bore baths!

Cheers mate
Ron

G/day Neville,
It's always a bit of fun to do homework; you can usually come up with something
and it doesn't have to be a masterpiece either.
It's interesting to note though how many poems that started out as homework, have later been polished and maybe added to,
and then later done well in comps.

G/day Ron
Ive seen grown men's hands shake when when holding up a bit of good rough.
I've also seen the same thing with blokes after finding good sized nugget.

I don't know if there's anything left there that's worth noodling these days,
If so good luck mate; hope you find a decent Nobby.
The spa sounds ok, it might do me a bit of good to if I was over that way.

Cheers Terry

Terry wrote:It's interesting to note though how many poems that started out as homework, have later been polished and maybe added to,and then later done well in comps.

Very important point Terry.