Blind Boy Dreaming

Chime is a selection of lyrics, ballads and narrative poems from an earlier volume of poetry.  Over the next few weeks, I hope to provide a few extracts for the mighty Almanac community, starting with this poem Blind Boy Dreaming, which originally appeared in Arena.

 

 

 

 

 

Blind Boy Dreaming

 

From the humble Murrumbeena,
past the ever-flowing Yarra,
through parades of autumn Moomba,
he aspired to golden sands.
Rode the waves of Gunnamatta,
dreamt of golden Coolangatta,
wooed the girls of Wangaratta,
in this Anglo-Saxon land.

 

Left his darling in Yallambie,
watched the sunset at Kilcunda,
netted prawns in Mallacoota,
travelled west towards alpines.
Pinched tobacco in Porepunkah,
fought the flames in Yackandandah,
caught the view from Warkwoolowler
on his way to Jindabyne.

 

Cruised the curling Murrumbidgee,
stoned the crows of Wagga Wagga,
heard the mocking kookaburra –
which he did not understand.
Passed the swamps of Cootamundra,
climbed the mountains of Katoomba,
paced the fields of Goondiwindi,
in this Anglo-Saxon land.

 

Saw the lofty peaks, Kuranda,
lurking crocodiles of Daintree,
blushed at stories of the yowie,
hitched a ride to Kakadu.
Stood in wonder by Nourlangie,
fished for giant barramundi,
crossed the desert of Tanami
till he came to Ningaloo.

 

Fled the ghost towns of Kalgoorlie,
trespassed through the Maralinga,
took a breather in Kapunda,
and a well-earned sip of wine.
Stomped the grapes of Coonawarra,
chased a pigskin in Dimboola,
gathered apples in Mildura –
his life a pantomime.

 

Swam the waters of Echuca,
paddled-steamed to Yarrawonga,
stretched the boundaries of Wodonga,
here the boy became a man.
Dreamt of darling in Yallambie,
headed home to Murrumbeena,
past the ever-flowing Yarra
in this Anglo-Saxon land.

 

 

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