I nearly hanged, it was my fate
In seventeen eighty nine
I had stolen an old fur tippet
And claimed that it was mine
They put me into prison
Then sent me to be tried
The verdict came back guilty
and many tears I cried
But through the grace of mad King George
came a welcome dispensation
My sentence was commuted
and I was handed transportation
The journey was horrendous.
Eleven months or more.
Till we landed in Australia
That far and distant shore
And what this place has given me
When all is rendered down
Is a life I never would have had
In the slums of London Town.
sincerely, yours, Mary Wade
Transportation of convicts to Australia began in 1787 and continued until 1868. During this time, approximately 163,000 convicts were transported on 825 ships
Categories:
tippet, history,
Form: Rhyme
just the other day
my young son
out of the blue
as me
dad he says
dad are there cowboys
in heaven
well i thought
what do i do?
so i tippet back my hat
and said son i
know the answer to that
yes there are cowboys in heaven
they ride herd over the stars
they play there guitars
and sing to the angels
they water there white horses
with mains of silver
in a crystal clear river
there saddles are laced with gold
they ride were it is nether hot nor cold
they only open the gate
for those who ride true
and shoot straight
so you see son there are
cowboys in heaven
you better shoot straight
and ride true
or they will never
open the gate for you
Categories:
tippet, cowboy-western, son, son,
Form: Free verse