How to Build a Road

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Get out your plan
and draw a line
from Kwinana Freeway
through the wetlands
to Stock Road.
You will build this road
come hell or low water and
whatever the future of the port will be.
After all
the PM loves roads
only roads
not rail
and Barnett knows best.

Hammer the houses
trash the bushland
boot out the bandicoots
scatter the birds
they don’t drive trucks
they don’t even vote.

Rip out the flora
shatter the silence
sink the pylons
scuttle Roe Swamp
it’s only a sumpland.
String up your bright lights
to show the way.
The frogs won’t really mind.

Don’t plan too far
no worries
about the problems ahead
those bottlenecks
past High Street
something will come up
she’ll be right.
After all
the PM loves roads
only roads
not rail
and Barnett knows best.

My Worst Christmas Day

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woke up hung over
stubbed my toe
on the bed leg
barked my shin
barked the other one
knocked down the letter box
trying to drive to church
came back inside
started a row
felt angry
kicked the bed leg
stubbed the other toe
burnt the roast turkey
smashed my last bottle of wine
opened my gifts
nasty box of tricks
the cat ate my salmon fillet
all I had left
went to bed in despair
but the dog ate my shoes
and the cat peed on my bed

 

Copyright   Sandra Roe

For Our One Term Prime Minister

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Joe Hockey is a flunkey
a real flunkey is he
he’s oh so proud of himself
like a little bumble bee.

He is fat, round and striped
with colours yellow and black
lately he has grown a black heart
and he was always yellow from the start.

They called Tony Abbot a monk
and the Mad Monk he purports to be
however he’s not even a friar
he is only a really good liar.

I saw through him years ago
he’s always had it in for the young
and now that he’s gone and done it
he will be well and truly sprung.

They won’t get away with it
placing ideology above reason
let’s move, stop them and their game
and surely hang them by next season.

Copyright Sandra Roe

Mr Tee

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Mr Tee was a man of modern design.
He had lots of money and he loved his red wine.
He charmed the ladies with his gentle smile
And implied he would go the extra mile.

But as a small boy when he stepped out of turn
His mother had given him a chinese burn.
He found many friends when he went to school
Especially when he came first in the swimming pool.

He wanted to have his friends stay over
But no way could he let them meet his mother.
His Dad was fine, he taught him everything
But his Mum was dirty and screaming.

And so at age ten Mr Tee decided
That never again would he be derided.
He would always hold all the power
And so his life would never be sour.

He was rather good looking
If not perfectly handsome
And he made enough money
To pay a handsome king’s ransom.

Long he reigned over how he felt
And he hid his feelings of love underneath.
So his heart would never melt
But neither would he be able to breathe.

For every woman he dated he was charming
To the point of being very disarming.
His honeyed words carried the day
And each woman neatly gave way.

But with his feelings all locked up
With each encounter he cocked up.
Mr Tee got his vengeful pleasure
But without any true measure.

From behind his charm he brought out his sneer
For she who could have been so dear.
He couldn’t allow feelings of love
To come out and bring her near.

Many women disliked his behaviour
And dismissed Mr Tee from their minds.
But some women couldn’t waver
And failed to throw the binds.

One woman in particular couldn’t let go
Of her lust for him and his ways.
She was determined to conquer and sow
The love which she hoped would grow.

But the more she tried to please and placate
In the hope he would reveal his love
The more Mr Tee would manipulate
Her and his feelings below not above.

He wanted love and he pushed it away.
She wanted love and tried to grab it.
He pushed and she pulled, he pushed and she pulled
Until their life together was habit.

They couldn’t love and they couldn’t leave
They couldn’t bear to be apart.
They made each other sorrow and grieve
For the love they should have had from the start.

 

Copyright Sandra Roe

The Shape of Australia

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Australia is a vast continent
rather flat and therefore dry
like a big brown and green biscuit.
When the Europeans came
they were white dots on this vast canvas
which they regarded as blank.
But black dots were here before them
few in number
but with a vast nomadic web.
When the white dots grew their tiny towns
their small squares and triangles
their boxes
along by the river
and laid their farms and crops
like blankets
with woolly dots and brown dots
over the hunter gather grounds
of the black dots
the black dots grew hungry
and threw sharp lines
at the woolly dots and brown dots
and ate them.
Punished by the white dots
who with their brown lines fired red dots
the black dots retreated
to the edges of the blankets.
The white dots went on to prosper
when they discovered gold dots
in the outback
and they built bigger
grander boxes.

 

Copyright Sandra Roe