Long Hadley Poems

There is a large cattle property in the Northern Territory of Australia
   where the bores are named after Famous cricketers and that prompted 
    this piece.

    ...

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Bring me a cup of Java,  honey, and put some coffee in the water, will you?...

Whoa there! Bet you can feel the withering sarcasm in that simple phrase...
People, I welcome you to the world...

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Poem 18

Percival Jordan

1892 - 1912


I am where I am
Because of who I was.
I imbibed a million breaths
And observed the stars dotting the night skies
Like actors taking the stage for another eternal encore.
I am in the...

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Ella Hyde

1857- 1898


That cad with the freckle on his forehead,
That rascal man beast,
Handsome as a Greek
But devastatingly insecure,
And so deliciously young!
He was the one who stole my pride,
There, behind the Hadley tombstone in the moonlight,
And...

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MARGARET ASHWORTH

Sarah, have you heard what Margaret Ashworth did?  Well, honey, let me tell you!  First of all, she went to the liquor store and I know that for a fact because John...

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Georgia Brown

1898-1914

We were the deathless dream dancers

The crazy girls with secrets and surprises!

Me and Nellie and Trudy and Olive.

We waited monthly for the full midnight moon

Waited with no words uttered

Our secret times together,

Times and moments...

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We get there with the kids asleep,
Too early for the sun.
We have some coffee quietly,
To not wake anyone.

When Hadley wakes, my husband goes
To scoop her if she cries.
I hear her giggle with delight
From tickles he...

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Orville C. Cameron

1889-1914

Oh, such larks indeed.

Over at the State School pond,

Way back in the tuft of Eucalyptus shade,

We swam, we yelled, and we laughed.

We, the gang from lower Painter Street,

We, the tough boys with fists...

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Clinton Lynch
1862-1912

It took a long time for me to die.
Five long years; from the moment
Doctor Barmore told me my heart was bad,
Until the day I was on my deathbed, 
Staring listlessly through my envious window,
At...

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I was a randy Romeo
I was not looking for Juliet
To sow my royal oats
When I met her accidentally in Lud
I was young and vibrant looking for fun
Doing what boys my age were doing
Mimicking borrowed accent...

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pick up the sword and feel the weight that crushed King George
and all his sins / cry out with rage kept deep inside /  did cast my soul across
the seas / fair Hadley, dark...

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Life is a phase
Full of energy like my son's crayon
It open up in pages
Flipping through in no rhythm of colors
Our dreams are often in cage
Strings and tunes are in block colors
Yesterday paces up in phases
With...

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The classes came out, grade by grade,
In costumes for the grand parade,
A hand-held sign announcing each,
In lock-step with the ones who teach.

A motor-scootered cop came first
To make sure traffic had dispersed,
While friends and families lined...

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My grandkids got a building toy
With plastic ramps and chutes
So marbles can go zig and zag
Down all the varied routes.

For safety’s sake, the marbles have
Been hidden from their view
Although, with supervision,
They can play with only...

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They bounce upon a trampoline
And climb and charge at bubbles.
When watching pre-school kids convene
You might forget your troubles.

For as they scamper, scoot and slide
Their joy is quite contagious
Except those glued to mommy’s side,
Too shy or...

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Hadley got a pink guitar
Today, for turning six.
She’ll maybe learn to play it
Or just strum a bit for kicks.

Her birthday’s so exciting -
She loves opening each gift
And watching her delight would give
Most anyone a lift.

I...

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There are many Leos in my life
With August birthday dates.
We sang to Hadley for today,
Her 5th she celebrates.

On Saturday, my husband’s day,
He’ll say he’s 53,
Just like he’s done for many years,
But that’s okay with me.

My...

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"You're having a little one," 
I say, seeking information 
from my therapist 
(she's considerably
pregnant).  Then, I ask her 
about vocation: 

Why she chose this specialty, 
and did she 
know the baby's sex, 
name, and...

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I finished a project in quilting,
A rare and surprising success.
I’m proud of this feat
But it never would meet
All the standards I’d need to impress.

My stitches are rather uneven.
One side and the other don’t match,
But I...

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This week’s a school vacation
And my grandkids are away,
Yet Hadley, 8.5 years old,
Connects with us each day.

They’re in a different time zone
So she FaceTimes when she wakes
And converses from the bathroom
For her sleeping parents’ sakes.

She...

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She’s been able to maneuver
And to turn herself around,
Scooting backwards on the carpet
As a way of gaining ground.

Also, rocking back and forth
While on her knees she’s seemed to nail
But our efforts to encourage
Her to crawl...

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