Major's Creek N.S.W. Poem by Francis Duggan

This country with a week of rain could do
And having said that maybe even two
But hoping never makes a wish come true
And there's no rain behind those clouds of blue.

The sun shy cattle in shade of gum tree
And farmer shakes his head and says to me
We thought that times were hard in eighty three
But this drought the worst in living memory.

I have never seen the paddocks quite so bare
There's scarce enough grass here to feed a hare
The sun and wind has soaked life from the ground
And this drought has hit for miles and miles around.

His sense of worry he could not disguise
There are no rain clouds in those burning skies
And the parched earth is crying out for rain
But forecast for next week is hot again.

There still is almost six weeks left of Spring
And many fledgelings yet to take to wing
The long hot days of summer are ahead
And not much fodder now left in the shed.

A few weeks back Paul Keating promised aid
But farmers for their losses can't be paid
And farmer hopes for week of rain or two
But there's no rain behind those clouds of blue.