For Our Young Farmers and Vignerons
There I was,
Sitting on the ground,
My back against
The wheel of the ‘Cruiser,
On the clay rise
On Tweedies Gully Road –
Watching the Comet
Slowly sinking,
In the early evening sky.
Suddenly
There you were,
Pulled up in your ute,
Asking if I’m O.K.?
I showed you
The Comet,
And the Wedge Tail,
Settled for the night
In the old blue gum,
With Planet Venus
Standing silent guard.
And I told you about the Comet,
“It’s made of ice!
But heated up and hot,
Just spun around the sun!”
For a tiny handful
Of minutes,
We shared this magic moment –
While two keen
And powerful eyes,
Watched our every move.
Two generations of farmers
Standing together,
Sharing our Valley
And Planet.
I shook your hand
Goodbye.
Took a last look
At the Comet,
“Never to be seen like this again
For 400 million years!”
Said goodnight
To my eagle,
And drove slowly home.
I felt good
About our future.
While time may be measured
In the huge, dark and silent orbits,
Back down here,
On Planet Earth,
While keen and powerful eyes
Watch our every move,
One generation of farmers,
Slowly takes over –
From another.
Tim Barritt. 15.1.07.
Earth Angel 181