The Little Smile that Ventured to Australia

Gather children, and hear this story, oh so sad,
which viewed, another way, might make you glad.  
My mouth spoke harshly, or perhaps it was a blunder,
so, I turned it to a smile, and I sent it to "down under".
Indeed, I sent it on a mission to Australia,
and it told me with a toothy grin, "I will not fail 'ya".
I tell you this, because there are not many smiles,
known to travel almost eight-thousand miles.
I shed a tear, until cheerfully, it sang, 
"Don't worry, I'll come back to you like a boomerang", 
and off it went, without conveyance, or map to chart its course. 
It had no train or plane or boat or bus or horse.
I shudder, as I think of the trouble it went through.
One day, I'll tell you all about the koala and kangaroo.
That's the story of the smile that started as a frown
and went down under to turn itself upside down.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

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Springs Avatar
April 26, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Oh, there are some lovely lines there - I'll listen to those songs. I guess I'm interested because I come from a land downunder, where women glow and men chunder (Men at Work song - slight hesitation remembering the lyrics)
Crandall Avatar
April 26, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Oh yes, I remember that song well - seems like it came out in the mid-80s? I remember there's a reference to vegemite sandwiches in that song - lol.
Springs Avatar
April 26, 2026 at 6:21 PM
This is wonderful. I have just a comment - in the penultimate line, I would have thought that that was the "glad" story of the smile downunder?
Crandall Avatar
April 26, 2026 at 8:05 PM
This is neither here nor there, but the 5th line up from the bottom is sort of a tribute or nod or something like that to a Tom Waits song called A Foreign Affair. There's only one song that I'm aware of him writing about Australia, "Town with No Cheer. Wait! There's "Tom Traubert's Blues"!
Crandall Avatar
April 26, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Thanks, Ava! You're right. I'm changing that line right now. I think it sounds better if I just remove the word "sad" in that line.
Etgen-Baker Avatar
April 26, 2026 at 5:14 PM
how witty and cleverly humorous and entertaining.
Crandall Avatar
April 26, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Thanks, Sara!
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