02-22-2017, 12:37 AM
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Location: North Australia
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I was talking about this poem to PF a couple of days ago.
The narrator is an Irish immigrant farmer in Oz about the time of the Depression.
You need to read in in a light Irish accent. We have all met a Hanrahan. This is a bit long.
SAID HANRAHAN
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began, One frosty Sunday morn.
The congregation stood about, Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock, and crops, and drought, As it had done for years.
"It's lookin' crook," said Daniel Croke; "Bedad, it's cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke Has seasons been so bad."
"It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil, With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel And chewed a piece of bark.
And so around the chorus ran" It's keepin' dry, no doubt."
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,"Before the year is out."
The crops are done; ye'll have your work To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o'-Bourke They're singin' out for rain."
They're singin' out for rain," he said," And all the tanks are dry."
The congregation scratched its head,And gazed around the sky.
"There won't be grass, in any case, Enough to feed an ass;
There's not a blade on Casey's place As I came down to Mass."
"If rain don't come this month," said Dan, And cleared his throat to speak--
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,"If rain don't come this week."
A heavy silence seemed to steal On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed a piece of bark.
"We want a inch of rain, we do," O'Neil observed at last;
But Croke "maintained" we wanted two To put the danger past.
"If we don't get three inches, man, Or four to break this drought, We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out."
In God's good time down came the rain; And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane It drummed a homely tune.
And through the night it pattered still, And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill Kept talking to themselves.
It pelted, pelted all day long, A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song Way out to Back-o'Bourke.
And every creek a banker ran, And dams filled overtop;
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,"If this rain doesn't stop."
And stop it did, in God's good time; And spring came in to fold
A mantle o'er the hills sublime Of green and pink and gold.
And days went by on dancing feet, With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat Nid-nodding o'er the fence.
And, oh, the smiles on every face, As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place Went riding down to Mass.
While round the church in clothes genteel Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed his piece of bark.
"There'll be bush-fires for sure, me man, There will, without a doubt;
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,"Before the year is out."
John O'Brien
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02-22-2017, 03:37 AM
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Just me.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: West central Illinois
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Loved it. Seems almost a universal thing, finding a bit of foreboding even when our prayers are answered.
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02-22-2017, 08:57 PM
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The whole poem could be set almost anywhere except the UK and Iceland.
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02-25-2017, 06:57 PM
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Just me.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: West central Illinois
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Only 10 months until Christmas.
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02-26-2017, 06:17 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2001
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We have an Aussie Christmas song which starts
"Dashing through the dust, in a rusty Holden Ute"
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03-05-2017, 04:21 AM
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Just me.
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Join Date: May 2002
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03-05-2017, 02:45 PM
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1 of 8,111,103,258
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CONGRATS to DB's girls.
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PANTIES
the best thing next to cuchie
"If God didn't want you to play with it, He would have put it between your shoulder blades,..... not at the end of your arm"
Except for speculation, we ONLY have NOW and EACHOTHER!
real world of cyber people ~ Pixies ~ real people of the cyber world
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03-06-2017, 09:21 AM
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Pixie's Resident Reptile
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Central MD, USA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dicksbro
Our local girls High School basketball team just won their THIRD state championship IN A ROW!
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Excellent accomplishment.
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03-09-2017, 03:36 AM
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Just me.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: West central Illinois
Posts: 590,002
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Just five more days until "Steak and a Blowjob Day!"
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03-09-2017, 08:53 PM
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Pixie's Resident Reptile
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Well, my alarm failed to go off this morning, so I was an hour late for work today, had to stay over, and make up hours later. Which is why I'm on Pixies so late in the day.
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03-12-2017, 03:54 AM
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Just me.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: West central Illinois
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Well, DST is here. Lost an hours sleep and it feels like it. Oh well, at least it'll be lighter longer in the evening.
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03-12-2017, 10:55 AM
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Pixie's Resident Reptile
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This switchover sucks raw moose cock. Pick one, stick with it.
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03-12-2017, 02:24 PM
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I can't document this as fact but my understanding of DLS being officially implemented is that it was proposed for varied purposes under different reasoning but was only passed after heavy lobbing by the charcoal industry to provide the urban populations more 'cook-out' daylight hours.
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PANTIES
the best thing next to cuchie
"If God didn't want you to play with it, He would have put it between your shoulder blades,..... not at the end of your arm"
Except for speculation, we ONLY have NOW and EACHOTHER!
real world of cyber people ~ Pixies ~ real people of the cyber world
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03-13-2017, 03:52 AM
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My understanding is that it was brought in to save electricity and gas during WW1.
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03-13-2017, 08:18 AM
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Pixie's Resident Reptile
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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That was the original reasoning of the Germans when they implemented it: but there was never any actual evidence that it worked.
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On the kinkometer, my kink measures as a sine wave.
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