Kit Kelen #1369 - sacred drought

1369

sacred drought

and I watered it in fears

night and morning with my tears

                                                – Blake

the drought is sacred  

so we tend

holy the cloven hoof

steak plate

and the live export

sacred the dust where the dam was

holy! holy! holy!

it has that twin cam overdraft

and you should see her fly

we will decide

so strangle a river for cotton

it makes a lovely uniform

old soldiers walk among

to grin and bear the drought

it’s not for girls but girls are there

they’ve knitted and they’ve baked

if only mud

we call on God

and all the gods we make

we have worked for this

no joking

but calves mourn mum

kangaroos slip through

sacred the dust where the dam was

holy! holy! holy!

here’s the sun

a public holiday

and we’re collecting taxes

pray for more

we pray for war

it makes us men

and gives the cenotaph a polish

then you have a town

big balls

and won’t forget to vote

let’s have a statue of the drought

a temple as to doom

holy acres

too many to say

but we must prise the trees away

sacred the dust where the dam was

holy! holy! holy!

someone must once have imagined this world

this world we fight for still

sacred the torture of chickens

and all who come by sea

push the beggars off a cliff

see queen for a VC

fire is the god of drought alive

and it must take our homes

dig!

here and here

come to the bones

we planted those

sacred the dust where the dam was

holy! holy! holy!

we all stretch coal in thin of wires

under this fierce sun

because the drought is sacred, ours  

blind with age I am

with rage

it wasn’t easy

do you think it was?

to magic up this dry

there’s no amount of legislation  

cactus rims the homestead

I wear the thorn of crowns

was once a controversy

now we know

how these boys gave their lives for it

white bread!

do you catch the petrol smell

drink to it and let us pray

here’s us

and here’s Old Father Drought

we’re kiddies sat up on his knee

sacred the dust where the dam was

holy! holy! holy!

it has a flood this holy drought

to wash the dust away

we’re swept

in one ear and out the other

the drought is something we’ll sleep off

must think past nation

here’s the vanish we’ve prepared

to sink like a sunset flag

to go the way of all empires