Georgia Kereopa Poet Free verse

Desert Dreaming

A violent scene lay before me
Huddled in death, there’s Ella, Mary-belle, everywhere I could see
Swollen tongues, sunken eyes, frail bodies strewn in the hot powdery dirt,
I sniff the sharp stench of death, I catch my breath, swallow, stomach clenched, alert

Stark rocky outcrops, blister amongst the sharp needles of spinifex grass
Stones, sand and mica glints, ants scurry about their tasks
Red dirt, blue sky, sun bears down relentless upon the tin roof of the Station
Majestic hills, once coral reefs, the Chinamen pushed wheelbarrows up them, Dinosaurs, Indigenous people walked here long ago in my imagination 

Soft bursts of purple feathery flowers of Mulla Mulla  joyfully sway in the crisp air this morning, locked in the silent perennial embrace of that blue blue sky
Frivolous, dollies those desert girls, with their sweet smell and blush as I walk by
I think I’ll put a bullet in my head in that very spot
To die in such fine company, you make those tough choices on the land, easy as, why not

5,000 cattle dead, I’d cry, but there’s no more water in my eyes, in a blink, all gone so terribly wrong
I’ll sleep with my cows tonight, Ella, Mary-belle in the Mulla Mulla desert dreaming, on the land is where I was born and where I belong

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Line Gauthier February 4, 2021 at 6:53 PM Powerful, particularly love your last stanza. Lovely to find this poem published in the 2020 PS Anthology, Georgia.

Franci Hoffman May 20, 2020 at 8:06 PM What an amazing piece. Bravo! Georgia Kereopa May 21, 2020 at 6:14 AM Franci, thanks for your glowing comment.

Caren Krutsinger July 6, 2019 at 5:38 AM Whoa. Hold the cows. "I’ll sleep with my cows tonight, Ella, Mary-belle in the Mulla Mulla desert dreaming," This says so much! Georgia Kereopa July 12, 2019 at 8:19 AM So much loss.

Phil Capitano June 13, 2019 at 7:27 AM Beautiful imagery, Georgia, you made the desert come alive (no easy feat) and then stamped it with emotional impact. Welcome to the soup, you have a bright future. Keep up the good work.

Constance La France June 12, 2019 at 8:12 AM Georgia, oh my, this is fantastic, you are a writer, there is no doubt about that, a book is in your future I hope and I will be there to buy it. This is going in my favorites. Georgia Kereopa July 12, 2019 at 8:20 AM thank you for your kind words and encouragement

Line Gauthier June 11, 2019 at 12:59 PM Powerful imagery, Georgia.

Mark Toney June 10, 2019 at 10:50 AM Georgia, this is about the Queensland flooding this year, yeah? Horrible loss of cattle in Wondoola, Canobie, Dalgonally and Carrum stations, among many others. Did you personally experience this too? This is a very poignant write, and I must FAV it because of its importance.

Robert Lindley June 9, 2019 at 5:33 PM Wonderful - desert, death, thirst for life. Nature- its harsh blows, and promise of dreaming- its inspiration of hope and something better as Time flies along in its relentless path. A fav, a beauty too..

Caren Krutsinger June 9, 2019 at 2:34 AM Georgia, this is such an interesting poem! You have taught me some new words and given me a perspective I did not have before I read this. I know I have missed something, so I am going back to re-read it. Welcome to Poetry Soup.