ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

So sorry Maureen - time simply got away from me this month, but hopefully you will accept this late offering for December's prompts. I can't even claim that the dog ate my homework!! This is a true story and happened in 1984.

THE TRACK NORTH TO ALICE
(c) Shelley Hansen 19/12/19

We travelled the track north to Alice
way back in adventurous days -
a busload on "outback safari"
exploring the less-travelled ways.

Spectacular scenery beckoned -
we marvelled at great Uluru.
The circus-troupe colours stood proudly
beneath a vast big top of blue.

A long string of hard-working camels
in head-to-tail endless parade
provided a tourist excursion,
protesting with grunts as they swayed.

The groaning of bones and of muscles
revealed quite a saddle-sore plight
next day, when our hiking was painful
with far Kata Tjuta in sight.

We wished we could linger forever -
no timetable calling us home,
just chasing the distant horizons
with freedom to endlessly roam.

Bound homeward, adventure awaited!
Unseasonal rain set us back
and led to the coach being stranded
and bogged on a wet Birdsville Track.

But that became part of the story
and memories fondly remain.
We're older, but maybe not wiser ...
for yes, we would do it again!

I would accept the dog ate your homework because I have to confess that my dog ate the minutes of the Residents Committee meeting - or at least gave them a very good chew around the edges

Life's too short to worry about minor issues Shelley - what does a timeline mean on something like this ? Not a thing really so of course your poem is accepted.

Sounds like a very memorable trip which really lent itself to the prompts - well done on both counts - love it.

Thanks Maureen!

The only problem with me using that particular excuse is that I don't have a dog!! (And I can hardly say my husband ate the homework!!)

It was a memorable trip on many counts - but those few events really did fit the prompts.

Cheers
Shelley

Very enjoyable poem Shelley; it must have been a wonderful trip!

thanks Catherine - yes, memorable in more ways than one.

Apart from boiling heat to freezing cold, seeing a violet Uluru sunset and being bogged on the Birdsville Track as per the poem, a wandering cow ate our 24 loaves of bread at King's Canyon. At that same spot all the ladies on the coach had to shower in a communal room with no partitions, the (cold) water coming out of a sprinkler system on the roof, and the building itself had no door! I'm sure it wouldn't be allowed these days!!

We had a gigantic thunderstorm at Alice Springs while we were camped at Heavitree Gap. The lightning in the mountains was both frightening and utterly spectacular!

Cheers
Shelley

Hi Shelley

You were not the only late starter this month.

As mentioned I stooped to fudging with my one.

How times have changed it was called Ayres Rock when I was there, and very few if any people were around in those days.
Informative and as usual, very well written.

Cheers
Terry

Thanks Terry!

A jolly rhyme Shelley

Thanks Neville!