8 Days a Week: Bush Poem #4

Day 4 bush poem 4:

Some of Johnny Best’s bush poems are rofl-funny. Here’s one.

Long John Best:

This is a factual account of an incident that occurred to me in my late teens and altered the direction my life took from that day forward. Only the locations have been changed to protect the townsfolk from the notoriety that descended on the good citizens of Lourdes in France. I called it:

                         Horse Sense

Far out beyond the Great Divide, lay another world to me,

Son of suburbia that I am, from a city by the sea.

My academic achievements were greatly admired on the coast,

But way out there, I must declare, it’s horse sense that counts the most.

Oh, I’d travelled West, with youthful zest, in search of the Great Outback,

When the ute tossed it in outa Quilpie, along the Windorah track.

In the old girl’s sparse shade, I ponder, what could be possibly wrong?

And try as I might, what I do is not right, and nobody comes along.

Five long hours creep slowly by, can the heat be affecting my brain?

For I swear I can hear someone talking; there, I can hear it again.

I’m standing now, and I’m looking, but the only creature I see

Is an old grey horse across the road, and he’s staring straight at me.

He sorta grins and then he begins to talk in a voice quite low,

“It appears to me that your carby’s blocked, clean it out and yer ute’ll go.”

I stand amazed, and somewhat dazed as he saunters off out of sight.

I’ve no other recourse but have faith in the horse and hope I can put it right.

I did as he said, God Bless him, she started first turn of the key.

I’m off down the track with no looking back, a miracle’s happened to me.

Windorah’s first pub finds me braking, my God what a story I bear,

Like shot from a gun, up the front steps I run, the bar’s empty, there’s nobody there.

Only the barman is present, bored, polishing glasses away.

Thinks I, just you wait, the tale I relate will certainly liven your day.

He poured and polished, I ranted.

Never into my story, he broke, Struth, you could have knocked me down, with a feather, when finally spoke. “My word,” he said, “You struck the grey, you should count your lucky stars,

The bay was out there last week, he knows bugger all about cars.”

YOU CAN ORDER TALL TALES from your physical bookstore (author Long John Best, publisher Bent Banana Books) or in paperback or eBook from online-retailers including

https://amzn.to/3gHuWko   (paperback and Kindle)

https://bit.ly/3iN3Wld (Barnes&Noble paperback)

https://www.fishpond.com.au/c/Books/q/Tall+Tales%3A+The+Verse+of+John+Albert+Best (paperback)

https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/tall-tales-15 (eBook)

Proceeds to animal welfare, RSPCA QLD

Place means a lot to most people and it is essential John’s story is set in the Outback.

Many successful songs reference a place. Few reference as many as this 1962 Australian song from Lucky Starr.

Johnny Cash Americanized the song but he could not name-check as quickly as Lucky.

Hank Snow had a hit with the first American adaptation.

Bush Poem Day 2

Day  2 bush poem 2:

I AM YET TO FIND ANYONE who does not love this week’s original bush poem by Long John Best from his anthology, Tall Tales available in paperback and eBook. To me the poem is about loss, loyalty, and doing the right thing. You might see something else in it.

Long John Best :

An old letter written to a Publican and his response. I now know him to be Paul Nielsen, mine host at The Tatts Hotel in Winton., Queensland.

Hotel Letter

Dear Sir,

We wish to stop at your hotel, we will book in for a week,

If you can only grant me, the permission that I seek

8 Days a Week

Day 1  bush poem 1:

EACH DAY FOR THE NEXT EIGHT DAYS, I will present a bush poem from premier Australian bush poet Long John Best. The poems are all originals from Long John Best’s first print collection, Tall Tales.

        I have known Long John, now in his 80s, for about 20 years, perhaps not coincidentally, around the time he began to apply himself seriously to the craft of bush poetry, known as cowboy poetry in the United States. I say, not coincidentally, because we met when I was doing the entertainment round for the  Pine Rivers Press and the Northern Times newspapers 

        I have been privileged over the years to write stories about Long John or Johnny or Bestie, as various friends and family call him.

        Long John has helped me out too, performing at the launch of my novel, Iraqi Icicle. Through his group the North Pine Bush Poets, he raised money to buy my intellectually disables son, Kevin, an iPad to communicate with. 

        John seemed to be always raising money for someone. As you will read in one poem, one of his favourites was the Royal Flying Doctor Service which has a long history of providing medical services to rural Australia. Proceeds of Tall Tales support the Royal Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA QLD) another of his favorites.

        Long John’s poetry ranges from the comic to the sentimental. He is not afraid to tackle controversial issues but he has the gift of uniting rather than dividing his audiences of various political and philosophical impulses.

        I am proud to call Long John Best my friend and I am happy Bent Banana Books was able to assist him in publishing Tall Tales. Let the tales begin. On the first tale of tallness, Long John wrote and performed Tasha, a Gift of a Dog.

Long John Best:

This is the story of an uninvited visitor to our home who stayed for fifteen years. She proved herself to be a wonderful warm and loyal companion. Honest and non-judgmental she was a great listener. We loved her then as we love her still.

Tasha, a Gift of a Dog

A puppy’s paw print, placed in concrete, nearly forty years ago,

 I was dirty when she did it, but no more, how could I know?

Now, every time I see it, takes me back, to reminisce

‘Bout them two young girls, who lived here, ‘bout Old Tasha, I still miss.