ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Some of you may know I am tied up with a Brumby Rescue Group so my first try at a Cinquain features them. WILD AND FREE ….A CINQUAIN …Maureen Clifford © The Scribbly Bark Poet


Brumbies
running wild hear
the choppers coming near.
Head for the treeline – dodge the blast
of bullets.

One mare
big bellied, slow,
gut shot, now writhes below
in red dirt – stained a deeper hue
with blood.

She cries
her calls unheard
but one bird spreads the word.
In a gum tree, Kookaburra
mourns her.

Old Sol
retreats at last
the mare’s agony passed
she died, along with unborn foal.
So cruel.

Their goal
the ones who rule -
to remove feral pest
These horses gave to us their best
in war.

But now
we’ve changed. It seems
they’ve no place in our dreams
expendable and out of place.
Disgrace

Wow! Maureen, I can honestly say this is one form I have never tried. Your verse is very powerful and thank you for the challenge, to which I will apply the "little grey cells" over the next couple of weeks

Cheers, Shelley

Thanks Shelley and pleade do exert your gray matter then us two gray mares can graze the pastures together

Great stuff Maureen. Where do the rescued brumbies end up?
Wazza

wazza and maureen quite a few end up as dogs meat or some kind hearted person puts them in a paddock to end their days then after a while they become forgotten, full of worms and parasites only a very few become well treated and loved.

Bill Williams

I can't speak for all of them Wazza but check out our pages here http://www.hoofs2010incorporated.com/ and our FB page https://www.facebook.com/Hoofs2010IncBr ... nref=story

This particular group run by one lady and her erstwhile spouse - manage to save and rehome quite a few brumbies every year by dint of love, hard work and donations. Lyn is also a staunch, vocal and hands on advocate for brumbies everywhere. Her brumbies are trained with love, and then rehomed. You can see and read about them on her FB page where she posts regular updates and issue 9 of the TAT Poetry Magazine featured Drover one of the NT brumbies as its cover boy and his story is inside. He was rescued along with others from a group that were headed to the knackery. Drover has been rehomed to a loving Mum and is now winning prizes in the showring. The brumbies have been acepted now as a registered breed and brumby owners everywhere are showing their horses and spreading the word about these wonderfull horses that are so adapted to Australian conditions. http://www.theaustraliatimes.com/magazi ... issue/109/


Nyente another of the rescued brums featured on this issue - http://www.theaustraliatimes.com/magazi ... issue/223/
Sadly the Australian Government is hell bent on eradicating these horses by aerial cull with the Barmah Forest Brumbies next in line for destruction. This is a self regulating group of around 150 horses on 70000 acres of national park - https://www.facebook.com/groups/640063936071221/

There are some graphic shots in this clip but it is worth sharing to raise awareness - https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=8 ... 14688#t=78