The Drought. The Hope

Poem by Dale Pukallus

He walks into the kitchen at the end of another day

And as he sits down at the table, he has not much to say

He ponders what’s to happen, because of the long enduring dry

And it makes you wonder why you never see him cry

 

Every day he is out there covered in dust and flies

Watching his beloved animals die before his eyes

Poor and hungry animals that cannot get up on their feet

He takes the gun and shoots them, their lives to deplete

He works all his life to keep his animals fat and strong

Now he has to shoot them, it seems so terribly wrong

But he knows they are past the point of no return

But the welfare of his animals is his only concern

The dam is dry and the water in the bore is running out

Not a blade of grass, will we ever see the end of this bloody drought

And to buy hay well the price has gone through the roof

Financially it is impossible to buy hay for every hoof

Then there are the farmers who grow grain to make a crust

But now all they see is dry ground, lots and lots of dust

There is no rain, to germinate the seeds

And not enough to even grow a crop of useless weeds

The farmer he just stands there, looking to the sky

The entire crop he has planted is surely going to die

He keeps on wondering when this all will end

It is enough, to send you round the flamin’ bend

Then there are the wives who support their man every day

They witness everything he does and everything he has to say

They see their husband deteriorate as the black dog is nipping at his heels

Unfortunately no one knows just how he really feels

She is there to comfort him, so he can hold his head up high

But when he is not looking she will go away and cry

It’s not about herself no it’s just all about the kids

Not enough to clothe them, and their education is on the skids

They cannot afford a work man so she is down in the cattle yard

No beautiful long fingernails, it is really very sad

So much to do, no time to sit and have a manicure

When she’s in the cattle yard she’s covered in cow manure

                                               The kids feel deserted, mum and dad are at each other’s throats

All the other kids are going on excursions in reply all they get is shouts

“We haven’t got the money so forget about it kids”

Although they shout at them, they wouldn’t give them up for quids

God why have you deserted us, don’t you really care

It looks like you don’t give a stuff, it’s not very fair

But when we look at it closely, things are pretty grim

Or is the major problem, well, have we deserted Him?

God is our only hope in these testing times

His love for us goes on for ever, no matter what our crimes

This drought is going on for years; it is very hard to cope

But remember, God’s love for us, is our lasting hope

                                                          Dale Pukallus

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