In dire times

When loves dies on you

Shake your head 

Cover your heart

Take your pen

Keep writing

When the world turns out

A sad place

Put colour in your words

Head down 

Keep writing

When the news get 

More horrid by the day

Find respite in memories

Dig deep in your mind

Keep writing

When disaster follows disaster

Close yourself away

Silently and diligently 

Keep writing

When violence and destruction reign

Defiantly ignore them

With your words built a better world

Keep writing.

In dire times

Don't let it all get to you

For if you do

There will be no hope

For if you do

There will be no peace

For if you do

There will be no future.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved 

Dragons I, II

I

Some dreams are not

To be made real

That is why they are dreams

For some time I dreamt 

I owned a dragon 

A real dragon, not a picture

Found in a children book

Of course dreams are outsized

In my dream I could fly on my dragon

We would soar in the clear azure

Away to discover new worlds

And live adventurous lives

What else would you do with a dragon?  

For let's be real here

Dragons and office drudge

Don't mix together!

II

Well dear, you'll be pleased to know

Dragons exists in all size

As long as my forearm

This one was sunning itself

In the first warm rays of spring 

Out of its warren on the wooden fence

Spiky and ugly or should I say scary,

Imagine spotting it in the middle of the night,

I'm sure a scream would accompany the sight,

Of this ancient relic of a primeval world

Ignored by superficial evolution

A wise animal, for it didn't seem fazed

By our inane interest or our unwanted presence.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Quiet bush life

If you think bush life is quiet

You may need to review your opinion

From morn to dusk

We are busy

As dawn points cocky duty

Calls us in the orchard

If we wish to have some fruits

To eat eventually

Early morn sees the coop open

Spotting flying eagles is a rigorous sport

If we wish to keep our chooks alive

Plants and veggies

Need serious watering 

And severe pest eradication

From dusk to dawn we are busy

Black wallabies have to be kept away

From munching on the fragrant roses

Possums have to be deterred from the veggies beds

Fruit bats to be detoured from raiding the orchard

Night Foxes denied access to the chicken coop,

Oh let me go back to the mindless slumber

Of a suburban garden!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Flies' season

Once again the season

Of the flies is upon us

Carried by the Northerlies 

They fit in nooks and crannies

From where they spy on us 

Searching for the cool shade

Morphing the wraparound verandah 

Into a buzzing alley

As soon as we step outside 

Making the Australian Salute

A de rigueur ritualistic gesture.

Small flies from the deserts 

Or fat resident blowflies

Have somewhat in common

An irritating attitude

They stick to you , what may come

Crowning you into a reigning lady

Or lord of the flies, 

Courting you like courtesans of old,

So you may as well enjoy it!

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

After the storm

Erratic flying of the entwined dragonflies

Above the dark waters of the waterhole

A lonely cormorant cruising around it

Slowly walking up the bank

Opening up its wings

To catch the last rays of the sun

Before taking to the sky

And fly away to its mate.

The gum trees and the clouds 

Reflected upside down 

On the bronzed mirror of the overflowing billabong 

Quiet moment only disturbed 

By the shrieking of the lorikeets

Playing truants In the waterlogged paddocks

The parched land's thirst is satiated

For once after the storm.

Boxing match of two Roos 

Letting their ire get the better of them

With smashing powerful uppercuts thrown 

Disturbing the forest peace .

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved 

Paris Black Friday

What  a weird mob!

You have to agree with me,

To sing in answer to a massacre! 

Mind you,  a song calling to arms

To fight against barbarity

In the name of Liberty !

It's an ironic twist,

An old song for today's woes

Becomes a symbol of defiance

In times of utter madness .

Paris has regained its place

In the world psyche , 

It needs to reclaim its peace

The pregnant question is:

Will fanaticism or rationality win over

This last round of terrorism

In a country not known

For its equanimity ?

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

The moon tonight

Once the disturbed ducks

Flown to the nearby forest

As a secure refuge

As serenity returned

Once the disturbed ducks
Flown to the nearby forest
Finding a secure refuge
As serenity returned
The  moon smiled 

In the billabong mirror

An upside down grin

Reflected low in the sky 

High in the water

All around me

Playing with my head

Reality has acquired fluidity

Solidity suddenly receded 

Into a smooth mercury plane 

Erasing the fading colours

Of the falling dusk

Leaving me to find

The faint luminous trail

Of your loving smile

All those years ago

Once found in my heart

It still shines

As  brightly as the one tonight.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

El Niño

The seasons pass, the landscape suffers

The gorgeous wattles replaced

By the blatant splash of the canola fields

The weeks follow each other

Bringing the hot weather with them

The paddocks disrobed to the naked

Parched soil cry of thirst

On land with no water access 

While the verdancy of the glutted ones

Imprints deeply the contrasting 

Colours of the Australian palette

Reduced to the bare emptiness

Stocks have disappeared from the landscape

No more roos peopling the paddocks

No more swans grazing on green pastures

No more Pelicans flying above the lake

No more cormorants diving in the dam

El Niño is here no doubt about it.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

24 th birthday

Yes, I know, another one

Today we celebrate

On your birthday

Twenty four years

Of quirky loving irreverence

That you survived 

Such a treatment

Is a wonder to us

Resilience you must have

But certainty you possess

Of being the beloved child

Of two grumpy oldies

Turned greenies lately

Only too happy to share

The bumpy ride with you

As long as you don't mind 

Our hovering company

So happy birthday

Best wishes for the next cycle

For Zeus will be your new master

May he bring you success,

Happiness and prosperity 

In all your endeavours and future life.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

A dog's day

I love to play

On my own terms

I love my food

Bones are always acceptable

I'm not sure about walking though

I have an inward compass

Indicating one direction

And one only :home

I've got two speeds

Full one running after the ball

Parading is the second

Here I go, proud as can be

The ball caught

Here comes the frisbee

I'm in quandary

Drop the ball and catch the frisbee

What a bother to have only one mouth

Sun setting time to jump in 

My own bed in the laundry

Warm and cosy with my own heat pack!

Goodnight all, let's play tomorrow!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

Dragon wisdom

Not a cloud troubled the night sky

Serenity and plenitude filled it

With a clear array of stars

The solar lights on the house lawn

Would undoubtedly be visible

For a million years to come 

At this truth the ancient dragon laughed

Human life was so fickle

There one day,

Gone the following one

No need to rush 

No time to see

As for himself it endured 

Deciphering the night sky

Or sunning in daylight 

Philosophising was the thing

What took a lifetime to understand

Disappeared in a blink

So what was the point of worrying?

Be happy was enough.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Ill wind

The dogs barked all night long 

In an ill wind blowing over MIALLU 

Dispersing its name in all directions

Leaving the rusty gate naked

Not satisfied this ill born wind

Pushed over the pots in orchids row

Leaving everyone rattled and febrile

The dogs circling around the chooks' pen

Refused to return to their own territory

Ready to keep guard all day if necessary

Truly the hens didn't seem to mind

Around Spring equinox

That ill wind kissed

The shrinking billabong 

Drying up the yellowing paddocks

Under its lingering caress.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved    

Paper dragon

Our relationship like

The paper dragon

In the furnace 

Is all flames and black ashes

High drama and deep silences

Forging and welding 

Our hearts are melding

Through the rarefied air

Of incessant passion

Under the highly volatile

Fire hammering

Of life pulling us 

In different directions

But finding us together 

Again and again 

Buried in the hearth ambers

Telling each other

I love you so!

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Abbott 's demise

Aborigines, women,

Science rejoice today

Would be Sir Abbott

Has fallen on his butt

The fearless leader

Has been shirt fronted

By his own mob

The Captain has gone down

Despite making the calls

The walk of shame was long

All alone between two flags

No time for a last hurrah

Of three words slogans

That brought him to power

His pants will dust the oubliette 

Of the lacklustre backbench

Under his budgies swagger 

Oz was driven to  a rogue nation

Let him bleed to oblivion!

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

End of winter

With still a week to go

Winter is the undisputed master

Of freezing nights, 

Opalescent morning fogs,

All followed by cold windy days

Rattling smoking chimneys

Around the ears of huddling humans .

Somehow Spring is on its way

For galahs fly in pair

Golden wattles fill the air

With abundant exuberance

Outrageous orchids display

Their waxy inflorescences

In their yearly exhibition .

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved   

Insomnia

Gingerly, pushing the heat pack

Sweeping the floor of the cavern 

Between the two bedsheets 

My leg extends itself another time

Then recoils quickly at the thought

Of meeting an undesirable crawling host,

Being either spider or scorpion.

It does not matter to my phobia 

Once awake, I can't even sleep any longer

Despite continuous  yawning

Aggravating my already severe insomnia 

Switching on the light

Reading seems the only solution

To carry me safely to the other side

Of this endless nightmare 

To the morning were the bottle brush

Will sweep gingerly and carefully

The inside cave of my boots. 

Lucette c. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Thank you for the Anthology

Feeling happy

It has arriveD

It made it  Down Under

I can rest now

The long days waiting

Are but a memory

Where to start ?

I know, it will be 

A poem as a treat

After a well spent day, 

Let's indulge with a mint tea

And cinnamon quince paste

That's the way to enjoy 

The Significant Anthology

Of course! 

T. B. E. S.

If in the morning

Showers are kept short

As rain has been scarce

You may be suffering from T.B.E.S.

If the generator is on

You'll get an expresso

Otherwise it's a percolated

You'll have to sip on ,

You may be suffering from T.B.E.S.

When outside you rush

To collect dead firewood 

As you wish to be warm inside

First build the fire properly

To bring it quickly to life,

You may be suffering from T.B.E.S.

Don't forget to brush

The inside of shoes and boots

As nasties can hide there

Waiting to bite or sting

Your unwary pinkies,

You may be suffering from T.B.E.S.

On the track keep it slow

To avoid the bouncing Roos

That are bound

To be around the corner, 

You may be suffering from T.B.E.S.

 Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

The lodger

The dual-occupancy was short

Ten minutes it lasted at most

When required payment 

Became to painful to bear

Ejection was the solution

To a non consensual relationship

I wasn't putting up with it

Stung and limping

I  took off my boot

Shook it and slapped it

On the concrete slab

Until the undesirable host

Slid out and there it was

Slim, flat and elegant

A magnificent marbled scorpion

The cause of mayhem 

And a few hurried phone calls

To check Aussie scorpions toxicity level

Learning with relief

That none is deadly

An agreeable exception 

In the world of Aussie creepy-crawlies!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

  

Lost

Lost

At the forest entrance

Leave the known bitumen road 

Turn into any dirt road 

To explore that primeval place

Up to the first sinuous dirt lane

Running in between the golden wattles

Morphing in a narrow dirt track

Avoiding deep pot holes

By that time you , you're  lost

Like the Roos and wallabies

You still go forward 

The night is falling

So is the petrol tank 

No reception on the mobile

Keep driving nonetheless 

The track is turning back 

Into a larger dirt road

You're on the way back

Hit the bitumen road with a happy sigh

Leaving behind you  the sign

"Thank you for your visit".

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Camellias

What is it about Camellias?

You either love them or don't.

If the truth is to be known 

La dame  aux camellias was right

After all she was knowledgeable 

In all love matters.

Take the flower itself:

Red you have pure passion

Pink passes as a blushing love

Not to speak about White

Which takes the shades

Of either the virginal religious calling

If not the one of the quintessential death.

Yes, Camellias answer to a woman's destiny.

Now take a single petal 

Look at it, don't tell me

It is a perfect love heart

Didn't I tell you 

The lady knew her stuff.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

MIALLU

So it turns out

Miallu is our place

The name stands proudly 

On the gate 

Long has is taken 

To agree on it.

We feel that working 

So hard on the property 

We could claim it

It could live with our fused names.

Once chosen Black, white or gold? 

Was the question 

The middle one won the day.

A celebration is needed

With mulled wine or bubbly.

What we need now

Is to decide whether or not 

It will be followed

By lodge or park

Or do we bother?

The jury is still open

On this one.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved 

There's a vacancy

So Bronwyn Bishop has resigned

In the wake of her travel rorts

She's done well for herself

For she still fully entitled 

To her generous superannuation

After all she was the Speaker of the House.

Poor dear, she may have to repay

Some claims she inadvertently made

She did it for the country

It must be true if she says so

For sure she'll expect to be Dame

She deserves the Honour

After all those years in service!

There's a vacancy in the Parliament of Australia 

With travel entitlements under review

But excellent superannuation 

To apply contact the office of the Prime Minister.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

In the bush

In the bush,

One is bound to wander.

In the bush,

One wonders.

In the bush,

One is silent.

In the bush,

One muses.

In the bush,

One ponders.

In the bush,

One digs deeper within.

In the bush,

One considers.

In the bush,

One mulls over.

In the bush,

One meditates.

In the bush,

One faces oneself.

In the bush,

One puzzles over.

In the bush,

One is alone.

In the bush,

One reflects upon.

In the bush,

Death is the other.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

The bonfire

How easy it is

To light a fire

Of gum leaves!

Pile them on a cold afternoon,

Windless of course,

Lit a match

And whoosh it goes

Merrily devouring

Its way through the boughs.

Devilish laughing fire spirits appear

Through the smoke and flames

Trying to escape and spread

The happy blaze.

But too soon,

Too quickly

It runs out of substance 

And frizzles out

In the hurried freezing dusk.

Time to go home

To the warmth of domestic fire

Waiting for us in the fireplace.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

The old ghost gum

First thing in the morning

As soon as the sun rises

From the misty frozen paddocks

The cockatoos alight in band

On the dead ghost gum branches

To bask in the warm sun rays

Giving their long dead host

The momentary illusion 

Of being alive and striving

To sway in the breeze

Once again for evermore

The ghost gum drapes itself

In a bellied white shroud

Screeching the bejesus out of the day

The old ghost gum soul 

Daydreams again

Of the time when

It was lording over all

In the blink of an eye 

The cockies take flight

The old ghost gum

Returns to its perpetual solitude.

When the sun goes down

The grey and pink galahs

Come to stay in their turn

To salute the last of the warms rays

Once again the ghost gum soul,

But for a moment, 

Is stirred and awoken

From its unending slumber 

To acquire an abundant exotic crop

Whose voices unite

To vow to meet on the morrow

Same place, same time

Before flying away 

In the darkening sky

Leaving once again

The lone ghost gum

Sleeping away the forlorn night.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

*cockies are yellow sulphur crested white cockatoos

Galahs are pink and grey cockatoos .

  

Rainy day

Rain is falling slowly

Puddles are spreading 

Rain is falling slowly

Puddles are filling

Rain is falling slowly

Puddles mirror the sky

Rain is falling slowly

Eucalyptus are glistening

Rain is falling slowly 

Eucalyptus are dripping

Rain is falling slowly 

Fire is smoking

Rain is falling slowly 

Tea is brewing

Rain is falling slowly

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

David and Goliath

He bought a phone

But it didn't work

They told him sorry 

With a smart antenna 

It's sure to work

But it didn't 

They told him sorry 

With an external antenna 

It's sure to work

He bought the antenna

But it didn't connect

They told him sorry 

With a patch lead 

It's sure to work

He could not find it

They told him sorry 

Your phone is too old

Outdated technology 

No need for patch leads anymore

We don't make them

He found one online

To connect the antenna and the mobile

He could use phone 

And have access to Internet 

He told them sorry but I won't buy 

Your new technology

It does nothing for me!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Celestial Union

Between the gumtrees

The union of Jupiter  and Venus

Is witnessed by the moon at its fullest 

For me it's a midwinter full moon 

For you on the other side of the world

It's a midsummer full moon

Still we are both right

Let's agree it's a full moon

Our points of view are so different

So are our realities

You are sweltering in a heatwave

I am shivering by the fire 

Still the moon is full

Venus and Jupiter are to be wed

In man's mind

And I wonder

Is it the reflect of our condition

To bicker about the details

Forgetting the bigger picture?

 Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Mano Chichi plot

The master is gone,

Let's show her who rules here.

She's out walking the dog,

Let's lock her out.

It's freezing outside

She'll freeze her backside

In pyjamas and slippers

Mid winter, pure folly

Twitter the Mano chichi.

What will she do, 

Break a window or a door?,

Asks another to the leader

Let's bet on this, comes the answer.

Look, she's trying to open the laundry door,

Can't do, I spelled the lock 

She can twist and shake it

As much as she can

The door will stay closed.

Not for long, mate

She's bringing the ice pick

Who forgot to lock the woodshed?

She's in, too late.

Starting plan B, 

Stop the hot water system.

That'll do the trick

A cold shower in the middle of winter

Makes me shiver just to think of it.

You're really devilish today, master!

Lucette Bailliet 

All rights reserved

 

Rebel

Oh, my dear aunt

How much I misread you

For you proved to be

Rebel to the last.

You made your peace with the church

Attending mass twice in the last month

But refused to be buried in the faith.

Although you had your plot reserved

Alongside your late husband  

You've refused to be buried 

By his side for eternity

You chose to be cremated instead.

"I want to be free"

Your last cry still 

Reverberates in my mind

I hope Death will bring 

The freedom you so desired

Fulfilling your last wish.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Follow the names

An easy trip to the bush

Is to follow the names

All highly suggestive

Buffalo Swamp Road

Wild Paddock Road

Willow Road

River Road

Punt road

Backwater crescent

Stony Creek 

Sandy Creek

Five mile Creek

Seven creeks

Dead's Man Creek

Violet Town

An interesting story

Do they paint

Of an early colony

Striving to establish itself

In an alien terrain

Beats any High or Main Street

Not to speak of King and Queen 

Found in every town 

Across the country 

In our capital cities.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Repos éternel

La bourrasque est venue

Si brusquement, 

Elle est disparue

Seuls les nuages dispersés

Suivent encore sa trace

Elle est passée 

Dans l'autre monde

Nous sommes restés

Comme perdus

Sans direction

Le vent nous pousse 

Ici et là 

Déjà la vie continue pleine

De ces menus problèmes 

Plus rien ne la dérangera 

Elle est arrivée sauve

Au cœur de la tourmente

Au repos éternel.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All Rights Reserved

Winter Solstice

It is this time of the year,

Shortest cloudy days,

Deep dark shadows,

Longest nights.

Lonely soulful hours

Candle lit,

Flickering flame

In unseen wind,

Instants where words

Become friends or foes

Depending on their mood,

Keeping company

To Frosty nights

With no Yuletide 

To distract.

Quiet empty time

To think and reflect

About absent loved ones

Crisp clear sky 

High above the roof.

Rising and spreading slowly

The fragrant gumtree smoke

Pervades the air,

Bringing home comfort

To the restless head

Heavy on the pillow

Falling in a dreamless slumber

In hope of a longer brighter day 

On the morrow.

  Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved 

Rush hour

It's Rush hour 

On Buffalo Swamp Road

Five 'o clock in winter time

Time to rush

To grab some food

Before dusk

In the last minutes of daylight

Kangaroos galore abound

Madly bounding around

Rabbits or hares 

Darting in front of the wheels 

Dashing here and there

All in a tutter

They had all day 

Really to graze 

Visit and rest 

So what's the hurry?

At least I get the rabbits

They've got a warm warren 

To go back to

But the Roos 

Will battle the deep winter night 

Without a shelter

So tell me

What's the rush?

 

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

Ball game

 

If you think 

You're in control

Think again

You throw the ball

For me to fetch 

I run after it

I catch it

You think I'll give it

Back to you 

So you can throw it again

For me to fetch

But then the game 

Is mine to control

For I won't give it

You try to catch me

You run after me

To get the ball

The game has changed!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Milou the Mighty

I'm Milou the Mighty

Watch me parading

In the back garden

My head is held high

And my tail is waging 

I might be small

But believe me

I'm Milou the Mighty

Determined to bring

In the best sunny spot

My prized bone around

On the forbidden mat

In front of the door

A delight to sit and gnaw 

I'm Milou the Mighty

The day thus pass

In busy nothings

Playing, eating and sleeping

What else do you expect 

From Milou the Mighty! 

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved 

Milou 3

During timeout he played 

With his toys all by himself

Had a little snack mid afternoon 

Then settled for a nap

With his favourite squeezy

He's such a little fellow 

With such a big heart

He tries so hard 

To please us

Getting in the way

Digging with us

Or gathering wood his way

Munching on everything

He can get his mouth around

Very keen to explore

The old termite eaten shed

Which barely stands by itself

He growls and barks sharply

He thinks he's Milou the Mighty

He might turned out to be

But for us we love him already.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Wind songs

As distinctive as our own voice

The wind modulations are

To whom listens carefully.

In the tall gum trees

The Southerlies whistle

A forward hung ho tattoo 

As brisk as it sounds

While the Westerlies 

Slowly murmur to them

Long stories of infinite oceans

The Northerlies sigh heavily

Bathing them in hot waves 

Without any relief in sight

And the Easterlies whisper 

The mighty ranges latest rumours

They've gathered on their ways. 

Do yourself a favour

Tune in next time you find yourself

Under the arched vault of high rustling branches

To discover the songs of the wind .

 Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Queen's Birthday

Queen's Birthday or not

Wood needs to be collected and cut 

The fire to be lighted

For the house needs to be warm

Vacuum has to be done

Laundry has to be cleaned

Beds to be made

Chicken run to be raked

Dishes to be washed

Clothes to be pegged

Food to be cooked

Dog to be fed

Rubbish to be picked up

Potter around the garden

Tidying this and that

You call it a holiday

I for once don't

Just thinking about

Leaves me exhausted

Time to stay in bed

Read, play and dream.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved   

The eye of the storm

Soaring in the blue eye of the storm

Two eagles ride majestically 

The thermic currents

Circling slowly indifferent

To the storm rolling in

Arrogant in their knowledge

To be the harbingers of strife 

And destruction in their wake

What a regal sight it is!

To be as free and in control

Of one's world is but a dream.

A sudden squall enthrals us

Wind and rain shake our world

When it ends the eagles have flown away.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Milou

I

Front page news: Addition to Murch.

Got a new kid on the block

Not a kid as such 

Goats and billies we've dealt with

We got a puppy!

For what do you do

When it follows you around

And attack fiercely your shoe laces?

You take it home of course

The dog chooses its master

Truth universally acknowledged!

II

A Jack Russell one

Named Milou

All over the place

Already made its mark

Full of energy

Keen to explore around

Bringing laughter and cheers

Playfully chasing a ball

A tissue box, a treasure box

To rip apart

A pen a good teething ring

Puts himself to bed

And forgets all about us.

Lucette C. Bailliet

All rights reserved

Bush weather warning bureau

Some towns have a town crier

Announcing whatever news

Then you have the  bush one

Drumming a weather change

To give a three day warning

Better than any modern system

For when the cascading laugh

Peculiar to the Kookaburra

Blasts in the empty skies

Across the paddocks

Be simply thankful 

Time is enough

To pick up the washing off the line

Secure all outdoor furniture

Under the verandah 

Gather enough dry wood

To feed the ravenous stove 

In the coming rainy days and nights

The spinning top activity we rush into

Before the storm

Makes it laugh at us

Forgetting to enjoy the sunny day.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

 

Open office

I've got an office

From sunrise to sunset

It's open all year round

Views wrapped around

It's furnished with a table

And a director chair

Has got a mobile and an iPad

Modernity obliges 

So yes it's an open office

It has no walls 

But a sun umbrella 

The only place we get access

To the networks 

In front of the chook pen

Attendance in coming winter 

May be a bit low and scarce

On windy days

Although nothing an open air brazier 

Couldn't counter on sunny ones

This is tree change in power

For yes it's an open air office!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Silly Roos

How curious it is

Somewhat disappointing too

But it's a universal truth

That familiarity breeds contempt 

It took only three weeks

Form a sense of wonder

To a contemptuous glance

To see three to five Roos

Grazing peacefully 

In the paddocks

To condemn their silliness

Incapable to distinguish 

Between threat and danger

And fly into panic mode

Always in the path of the car

Or to get caught in the barbed fence

Seemingly loosing their power

To jump high above

On top of which

They seem to feed during the night

As well as the day

Can't they get some rest

Or let me sleep at all?

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All right reserved

Full moon rant

Majestically the full moon

Rises above the bush

Indifferent in her icy beauty

To the suffering in her wake.

A royal spoonbill is resting

On the top branch of a dead tree

A waterfowl in a forest

Out of sorts with its environment.

The evening beauty and peace

Are shattered by distant gunshots

Rednecks on a weekend rampage

Alcohol will take the blame.

 

The moon chooses to hide

Behind thick dark clouds

The spoonbill has flown away

To some friendly waterways.

Man's evil tendencies 

To kill and destroy 

Are intrinsic to his nature

So they say.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

Taking point

Life is taking a turn

Busy, hectic I should say.

But whose life isn't nowadays?

Should I complain

About the stress

The lack of control?

Finding a place

To fulfil our dreams

To live our last years

Is it too much to ask?

Do we deserve it?

Are we fools to buy into it?

What else do we have?

The last hurrah before alienation

Who cares anyway? 

Better to suffer than vegetate

For at this stage 

Death is but certainty.

At least whatever we do

A purpose we achieve 

So let's have fun

Shall we?

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

First rain

Three days of rain

Blades of grass 

Are piercing

In patches already

The paddocks take

On a greener hue

The soil is soaking

 All the water it can

Only one of two puddles

Are gathering here and there

The rain is playing

A tattoo on the roof

Almost strong enough 

For a headache

To take place

Barely seen by the eye

Which sense to believe? 

The verandah gives

Access to the outside world

Without getting wet

The rain delivers us

A new  dimension!

 Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved

Life off grid

Can't lose, really

If it rains, 

It fills the water tanks.

If it shines,

The solar batteries are charging.

Life off grid is full of charm, really, 

Like ending the evening by candlelight

As both the batteries run out of power

And the generator out of fuel!

What a first week it has been,

The main water tank going empty

Short showers were on the menu,

Had to work out how to fill it again

By gravity feed from the second one

It turns out. The third one is still leaking

Don't know if the lining is leaking

Or it just needs a plug or two !

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved 

Going bush

Going bush is a lifestyle 

I'm not sure about a choice

More a necessity

Going off grid seems the way to go

Rain water collection will have to do

For the heating dead wood 

Gathered while walking 

On the grounds or in the nearby forest

Growing our own food 

Will take some time

To live in autarky is our new cry

For this is what it means 

Return to roots

And look after our garden

As Voltaire stated is to be wise

It may seem to you too modest

Maybe but to be in charge 

Is to be free.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

All rights reserved