Remember Something Like This

Long ago a brown alighted story was told as a boy looked up on the hall walls water flowed to his eyes for Starlight was carrying snake in his shirt gut belly and around the fires a tall man frightened the mobs that black eyes promised that night at giant tree, way up bushes crept in the ant hill was the wild blackfella from up north, they said. Soldier chained him down at the waterhole but as they bent to dip, sip behind their backs, old man Waterflow flew clear, magic undoing the shackles, without keys or sounds of saw saw . . . nuh . . . you didn’t saw him. He’s old Waterflow, even I’m too young to remember everything. Yet clever than pictures them show off making fun of old Boonah sitting outside waiting for dreaming to come in reality. After that somebody broke into the store. Oh, the police were everywhere at every door, roof, in laws Where’s this and that, you know. So they find out where him came from by looking at the tracks. He’s headed for the caves just near Milky Way. Happy in strength, we took off but the hills hid this tribal bull-roaring feather foot under Jimmy’s Scrub place up deep where you have to leave smoke if you want to hunt there If you don’t, you’ll get slewed . . . On earth our people are happy but we couldn’t find that food. Musta been up the Reservoir or expecting a life to run over near Yellow Bar cave again. But we bin told, one man got badly porcupine. Bring him home and not supposed to. So him get sick, all life time like green hands touch Murri legs that’s why you don’t swim too late at this creek created. A spoiled boy one afternoon, went repeating the bell bird singing. And he went and went and sent to Green Swamp, back of the grid. Then as eels were caught Aunties sang out, this the biggest I’ve ever seen. Come boys get more wood, we’ll stay here all night. So sat waiting, a bit dark, tired light the lines pulling in slowly for fish seem to be in message but two-headed creature appeared legs chucked back fires went out the fish swam back we raced home. All cold that night, back of the bend and rocks. Just near the bunya tree you can see this middle age woman, long black hair walk past our Nanna Rosies’ place up to the graveyards but she flows and many moons came shone in our minds watching Dimmydum and Kingy doing corroboree on stage in front of her children. A light story past thru windows on to you all never forget remember more . . . Poet's Note: Boonah: peace maker