quarterhorse Poetry (7)

Sun kissed features .. ever gentle
Sit serenely on my mind
Soft brown eyes that seem to beckon
Search a soul and seek to find
Shapely lips are curved and smiling
Hint of maybe better times
Should her search for love eternal
E're be caught among these lines

Saw her picture and her writings
On the place that I searched on
For the same in love's foundation
Hope and dreams 'fore my life's gone
My thoughts distant ever reaching
To this heart so far away
If perchance we get to meeting
What are the words that we might say

Quiet chat across a table
Eyes that search each others face
Reading signs that tell a story
Beating heart needs slower pace
As the moments .. slowly passing
Ease the tension of first taste
Of each others first encounter
Slowly need no time for haste

Conversation... light and cheerful
Smiles and laughter soon take hold
As the evening on progresses
Past and present stories told
Then the time it comes for parting
Silent thoughts of what took place
Ever gentle in my memory
Are the features of that face

Should there be another meeting
Has the moment cast a spell
Time will reveal its own true story
Where these beating hearts will dwell
Sometime soon there'll be an answer
To the question on our minds
Whether it will be together
Or just be friends of present times

Life has shown me many changes
Some roads new but most are old
Some roads rough and hard to travel
Others smooth and paved with gold
Life has taught me.. never falter
Find the purpose .. travel on
Far into the unknown distance
Life .. like shadows .. soon is gone

M.B. Poems 2016

Now 'Romy' was a friend of mine
He stood 'round 14:3
He had a damn good temperament
Well...pretty much like me
Was kind and honest ..did his job
He never questioned orders
we'd chased a lot of cattle tho'
And crossed a lot of borders

There's only once that springs to mind
When he was only three
T'was my fault things got hectic
And 'Ol Romy' would agree
But that's a few years bygone hence
When I was young and green
So pull a stump and settle down
And visualize the scene

I rolled my swag and packed my gear
And walked towards my horse
Happy in my chosen work
A drovers life of course
I placed the sweat cloth on his back
And eased the saddle up
I tightened up the cinches
Then started to mount up

I swung loosely to the saddle
And gathered up the reins
Then 'Romy' just exploded
Like a ruptured water mains
His shoulders lifted rigid
He caught me by surprise
I saw myself in orbit
Right before my very eyes

The gap got real wider
T'ween the saddle and my rear
And I knew that leaving leather
Was very very near
But in determination
With all the strength to find
I hung on for my 'crown jewels'
Were foremost on my mind

He bucked and rose and grunted
I knew something was amiss
For never had 'Ol Romy'
Ever acted up like this
It seemed like it was ages
But was seconds I am sure
Then I got off and left him
I was feeling rather sore

He'd sent the camp gear flying
He had kicked a lot of sand
I looked and there stood 'cookie'
With a shovel in his hand
The look he gave was fit to kill
As I sit here thinking that
If I had spoke a single word
He would have broke my back

But I had turned to 'Romy'
Something was not right
I had to find a reason
For his sudden airborne fright
So I took my gear down off him
To check it thoroughly
To find a damn Nagoora Burr
Was ne'er the death of me

From that day on I never missed
A time to check my 'tack'
I always check my saddle cloth
And brush my horses back
T'was only once in his whole life
'Oh boy' he let me know
And for years we went on droving
North and South with Mobs we'd go

With mobs from up in Queensland
Cross borders far and free
Then down the old 'Strezlecki..
To the railhead at Marree
Where we'd load them into wagons
Then turn our heads for town
To start the next job planning
Another mob to bring on down

But the Droving days are over
Road trains ply their faster trade
Still the Drover has his memories
Of all the trips he made
It's an era I'll remember
Up until my dying day
And I'll not forget 'Ol Romy'
My old mate of yesterday..


M.B.Poems 2010....

THERE IS A SPECIAL LADY
I CONTACTED ON THE 'NET
REALLY KIND OF LIKE HER
THO' I HAVEN'T MET HER YET
SHE SEEMS SO BRIGHT...INTELLIGENT
SO STEADY..QUIET ..CALM..
JUST THE SORT OF PERSON
I COULD HAVE HOLD ON MY ARM

TO WALK THE SUNLIT AVENUES
TO STROLL IN TWILIGHT RAYS
OF SINKING SUN ON DISTANT HILLS
AS SHADOWS FIND THEIR WAYS
TO SLOWLY TURN THE LIGHT TO DARK
WHEN STARS AT LAST WILL SHINE
AND A CHAT ACROSS A TABLE
IN A QUIET PLACE TO DINE

JUST SPEND TIME TOGETHER
TO SEE HOW THINGS PAN OUT
MAYBE IT'S OUR DESTINY
OR FIND IF THERE IS DOUBT
LET'S FACE IT NO ONE'S PERFECT
AND THIS SAYING IS I KNOW
THAT IF THERE IS A GLOW INSIDE
THE OUTSIDE IT WILL SHOW

SO I'LL JUST REMINISCE A WHILE
LET THOUGHTS AND DREAMS ABOUND
BE GRATEFUL TO THE LORD ABOVE
FOR THIS LADY THAT I FOUND
MAYBE AS TIME MOVES QUIETLY ON
IT COULD PICK UP ITS' PACE
OR MAYBE GENTLY FADE AWAY
AND DISAPPEAR IN SPACE

M.B. POEMS 2014

SOMETIMES I SIT AND PONDER
'BOUT MOST THINGS IN MY LIFE
LIKE GROWING UP ...AND CHILDREN
A HAPPY HOME ..A WIFE
THEN... JOY..AT LAST IT HAPPENS
EACH DAY SHARED IS BLISS
EACH MORNING UPON WAKENING
IS STARTED WITH A KISS

AS TIME MOVES ON WE WONDER
WHERE....IF IT EVER ENDS
DEEP DOWN INSIDE WE HOPE NOT
BUT THEN IT JUST DEPENDS
ON WHAT OUR DESTINY UNFOLDS
WHATEVER'S MEANT TO BE
OF WHERE OUR JOURNEY TAKES US
LIFE'S PLANS FOR YOU OR ME

A THOUGHT BEFORE WE THINK IT
IDEA YET TO PERCEIVE
IS SET FOR US BY GOD HIMSELF
THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE
SO AS EACH NEW DAY PASSES
AND NEW THOUGHTS FILL MY MIND
I WISH THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH ME
A JOY FOR ALL MANKIND

NO TEARS ..NO PAIN ..BUT LAUGHTER
MEET AND LOVE AND LEARN
SHARE A LIFE OF RAPTURE
IS THAT NOT WHAT WE YEARN
BE HAPPY ... BE CONTENTED
WALK HAND IN HAND AND ON
UNTIL THAT LAST GREAT MEETING
IN A PLACE SO FAR BEYOND

M.B. POEMS... 2014

I was up in western Queensland
Just the other day
Stopped awhile for coffee
In an outback town Cafe
I was sitting contemplating
On the things that one does see
When a Codger introduced himself
Said his name was Mattie B.

I sat there for a moment
At him I quietly stared
I didn't see him come in
He just suddenly appeared
When he spoke it seemed I knew him
Like we'd been friends for many years
Then he asked if he could join me
So I pushed him out a chair

He was jovial this old Codger
With eyes that twinkled blue
A smile that seemed so permanent
When he spoke with you
His face showed signs of knowledge
Many things he'd learnt in life
I asked if he was married
Shook his head and said "no wife"

Said he worked not far away
Some miles up the track
Said he drove a big machine
He said it was a CAT.
So I ventured out to see it
I followed where he went
The road was black and dusty
So I closed the open vent

Then at last we stopped there
Beside the big Machine
'Bloody big' I told myself
Well you know what I mean
He helped me climb up on the track
Then upstairs to the door
I opened it and stepped inside
And this is what I saw

The cab was clean and tidy
A neat and comfy space
Every thing in order
Nothing out of place
Then it was I saw it
In the corner of the screen
A picture of a lady
The fairest that I've seen

Her hair was blond....looked silky
Soft brown eyes that stared
Straight into these orbs of mine
Her lips looked soft and red
Her gaze it held a question
Or so it seemed to me
Funny I should think like that
Cos' so did Mattie B.

He said he liked to have it there
T'was someone...he didn't say
He stared into the distance
Like his thoughts were far away
Then slowly we climbed down again
I stood and looked around
I saw where he'd been working
The seeded new ploughed ground

Then it was time to move along
Me to the road ahead
Mattie climbed into the cab
He smiled and shook his head
I climbed into my 4WD
Amid a mighty roar
Mattie waved a cheery wave
And shut the D9 door
So now I'm on the blacktop
My mind seems in the past
The sojourn in the coffee shop
My thoughts forever last
Things that I remember
The picture that I'd seen
Of a blond haired brown eyed lady
In the yellow CAT Machine,

M.B.Poems...2012...

There's a story let me tell you
That happened some time back
So grab a stump and listen
'Bout a D9 Cat. and Matt.
It was '08 round September
And the word had just come through
'Bout some fellers that were coming
To do an interview

They were from a publication
From France across the sea
And arranged to take some photos
Of the Cat.D9 and me
So we did the picture bit OK...
They were awestruck at the 'C'
Then it came at last to my turn
To tell them about me

So I told what they needed
And how to drive the Cat.
Explained about the blade plough
The seeder an' all that
How we rake the country
Before we start to sow
They were speechless as I rambled
Till I gave them both a go

At driving from the cabin
How to turn and twist and back
By the time that they had finished
I think they had the 'knack"
Still silent from the action
They were lost at what to say
But were happy with their efforts
Of their 'drive the Cat' display

Some time later we all parted
Me back to my job
For I must keep the hours up
And earn an honest 'bob'
Then came the time the boss came out
A magazine for me to see
In centre fold was Cat.D9
And large as life was me

The pictures didn't look so bad
The Cat. looked good and clean
And there was 'Matt' as bold as brass
The centre of the scene
Then I looked at all the writing
Gave a squawk of sheer dismay
It was in French... the whole damn lot
What it said I could not say

Then one day while in Roma
I said to my friend 'Pete'
About to print some photos
From the Magazine to keep
And he said just leave it with me
He knew a lady he could see
That could translate into English
The story here for me

So he got it all translated
It was done down at 'SURAT
And I was so so excited
About the story an' all that
So I made a deal and offered
To shout Dinner and a yarn
With the Lady and her Hubby
And her friend called 'Christianne'

So in March we had the dinner
It was sad to see it end
For the company was excellent
And now they are my friends
So I went back to my home place
Where rests the D9 Cat.
And they went back to their place
South of Roma ...to SURAT

M. B. Poems 2012

You ask in your rhyme
What my reason.. and time
Will show there's a heart beats true
I am but a friend
You will see in the end
Will bring no harm to you

No one can suppose
From a photo or pose
What ever a person dispels
T'is the inner being
It's there without seeing
The body's just one of it's shells

God's gift to man
Was a simple plan
No preference to race nor creed
To live a life
That is free from strife
But no one his word did heed

From that great day
There entered the fray
A world all torn with war
T'is greed and strife
That's taken life
And made the rich man poor

There are people out there
Far better in fare
Some that are glib and cool
Some that take hold
Of your treasure and gold
And treat you like some kind of fool

T'is beauty to them
( with their mind on 'ahem')
Seems more important to those
They fail to see
What is real beauty
It's not all in the physical pose


It's the inner person
There is no dispersin'
It's precious as silver and gold
To search someone's being
And finally seeing
the DNA of their soul

So onward I go
With a new thought or so
I treasure this life that is mine
I'm happy and free
where at present I be
But only in soul and in mind

Should I find the right person
Thro' poems and versin'
And the rest of my life be sublime
To cherish and hold
A love that is gold
And be happy till end of my time