CRABBY

[Maureen K Clifford]

CRABBY … Maureen Clifford © The Scribbly Bark Poet


She’s a mess of gorgeous chaos you can see it in her eyes.
For the blokes instant attraction - but the females her despise
for she flirts with everybody if they’re male and wearing strides,
she’s the femme fatale out on the Murrumbidgee.

She’s as slender as an aspen and as blonde as new mown hay
and her thought process is dodgy but the blokes think that’s OK.
Doubt she knows how to boil water, much less brew some billy tea
but she’s six foot tall and burns hot like the Gidgee..

If you put her in a header when it’s time to cut the wheat
would she know what was expected or would she think it quite sweet
that the rows all marched precisely in formation cross the fields
and she loved the chaser truck and thought it cute.

If you put her in the shearing shed – told her to skirt the fleece
would she worry that such work might indeed chip a little piece
from her manicured red talons –Oh indeed yes she just might
and her squeals would scare the wethers down the chute.

Still my son he can’t see past that, he’s attracted, he’s in love
and his mates, well, yes they’re jealous of his city hot house dove.
They’re not thinking of tomorrow, they’re just thinking of the night
now the future of the farm is looking glum.

But I’m his Mum, I see it, my radar’s on high alert
I can see Miss Disingenuous hiding beneath that skirt.
If they marry will she stay here, will she do her share of work
or find the country lifestyle quite ho hum.

Well it’s best to turn a blind eye sometimes and hope this will pass
for my son is on his uppers when it comes to cash and brass
and she’s sure to be high maintenance, so I doubt it will last
longer than the flood waters in Murrumbidgee.

But in case I’m wrong about her and she has some staying power
and proves to be quite capable and not some hot house flower
I’ve given her the bed out on the sleep-out without power –
and warned her of the snakes that she might see
plus the possums who call nightly from the old crab apple tree.

[r.magnay]

...not a fan then Maureen?...

[Heather]

"Tallons" said it all really.

Heather

[Maureen K Clifford]

[Neville Briggs]

I thought the dreaded mother-in-law was just a myth.

[Heather]

Nah, they're about Neville.

[Neville Briggs]

How do you know

[Heather]

I hear things.