H'work w/e 23/1/17 - South of the Border

[Maureen K Clifford]

SOUTH OF THE BORDER ... Maureen Clifford © The #ScribblyBark Poet

We are restricted in this day and age across the world by fences,
and some bloke whose called Donald wants to build still more.
He wants to keep the Mexicans on their side of the border.
In Queensland - they cross our borders by the score.
They en-train down in Melbourne and they ride the rattler rail up
to Queensland - where ''All change at Wallangarra"
Then they catch another train and head up to our Sunshine coast
and aqua waters quite unlike the Yarra.

And from Brisbane they disperse themselves to points far North and West
to the places where the crowds don't congregate
and that no doubt is because city folks just can't work out how
to open up those bloody cocky's gates.
And yet they're engineering marvels, or so the farmers say
and they're happy to invite you for the ride
which is only 'cause all farmers dislike opening any gate
even though they seem to take them in their stride.

But a cocky's gate is evil and a cocky's gate is mean,
and a cocky's gate don't follow any rules.
It will collapse in an instant and hold you gripped in its wires -
it will end up making you look such a fool.
They're cheap to make and fix up - which is why there are so many,
and the stock don't like them much either I noted.
And if anyone says ..." country living's fine - I don't mind gates"
then I suspect they were perhaps misquoted.

So perhaps old Trump could learn a thing or two from us Aussies
when he spouts off that he wants to build a wall
to keep the Mexicans away from good ole US borders
it is obvious he don't need one at all.
All he needs are Taranacki gates, Parson's gates by the score,
Mallee gates of wire and barb and bailing twine,
galvanised recycled star-pickets , saplings cut and used green,
all strung out along the long dividing line.

[Shelley Hansen]

Now there's a novel idea, Maureen!! I like your original approach

Cheers
Shelley

[Maureen K Clifford]

Thanks Shelley

[Wendy Seddon]

There'll be thousands of Aussie fencers off to the USA to work - or one good fencer and his dog!

[Maureen K Clifford]

I had a great, great uncle or cousin - can't recall the exact connection now, who was a well known UK Fencer who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Dad used to tell us the story - but never the bit about the Olympics - I don't think he knew that himself - A a kid I often wondered how a fencer became so well known, thinking maybe outstanding post and rail combinations

It wasn't until I did my families geneology in my 50's that I realized the type of fencing that he did Frederick Luke Val Fildes http://wikivisually.com/wiki/Luke_Fildes_(fencer)