The King is Dead. Long Live the King.

My family
we
built this place
together, you know
been here since
before the Great
War, my Grandfather's
Father cleared these
paddocks, calloused
hands and an axe
that's all it bloody
took, honest work
and a place
t' drink
at the end
of the day
and look at it now
good people punished
an Act of God
you say
well he better
bloody stand back
the mongrel
'fore I wave my fist
and shout
ya
took my two brothers
in Normandy
my son in Vietnam
and three
innocent grand children
tiny kids you bastard
2, 4 and 7
here
afraid and burnin'
alive

and

got halfway
down the track when
I realised I'd forgotten
the bloody dog
had to go back
didn't I
anyway
she was there
under the porch
ran straight to me
but we both knew
it was too late
the sky was thick
and the heat, mate
so
I sprayed her with a hose
and told her
get under, dog
under
and she did
with a look
as I climbed
up the roof
hose in hand
to spray the serpent
The Devil himself
in the eye
and
screamin'
piss off, ya bastard
piss off, would ya
and wouldn't you know it
the prick
heard me
stopped at the fence
turned and
ran a yellow
backed coward

and
gone, all gone

and here and there
the souls of the dead
live in the eyes of the living
the wing of the moth
crumbling with a tender
touch

and
maybe a spark
will jump the lines
in the unified heart
of a sun blistered
country
take my hand, brother
we will stand together
and I will
listen as

she was my
everything
you know
fifty five years
t'morra
would've been
since
that night
at the dance
red haired just like...
and a temperament to match
I tell ya
I just knew
first time she
smiled
I coulda sworn
me heart
broke
then and there
and the air was
like stardust
sprinkled silver
with
real magic
my Love
a true blue sheila
through it all
and now
she's
and he's
and it's
this whole damn place
every memory
lost
in the ashes
buried
somewhere under this
rubble
and if I can just find
one, mate
just
one bloody piece
of yesterday
to grip tight
in these wrinkled
and useless
hands
then who knows
I might cry
a river
to douse
forever
this damned
Hell.