Almanac Poetry: ‘Ernie’ – Bill Wootton

 

 

 

Ernie 

 

i

 

Ernie Hug was a back pocket

for The Pies in ‘65

but up front were his hands

 

With 28 centimetre spans

those hands enclosed the ball

when he clocked his marks

 

Ernie also handled prize bulls

drove a Rolls Royce to training

and represented Victoria

 

ii

 

I had him for years

rubber-banded with

other Scanlens mates

 

Avuncular Ernie clutching

a Ross Faulkner, gooby grin

like Andy Griffith

 

And somehow, like legends

EJ, Polly and Blue Barassi

Ernie got to be die cut,

 

his image poppable

by pressing on the flat card

with my tiny thumbs

 

iii

 

Post-footy, a tree pressed

on poor Ernie’s tractor

and he was dead at 34

 

bw

 

Apparently Neil Mann’s hands were even bigger, capable of holding two dozen eggs!

 

More from Bill Wootton Here

 

 

More poetry from Almanac Poetry can be read HERE

 

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