One Corner Post
The Chinese came in thousands
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when they dug and panned for gold
where the creek beds and the hillsides
yielded fortunes still untold.
Mid the chatter and the laughter
on the goldfields of Meroo,
a little store was opened
by the gentle man, Ah Foo.
On the top side of the creek
we can see the site today,
where the floor on low cut stumps
has now decayed away.
There's knowledge of the locals
where the creek bank yet is scarred
by the mullock heaps and mines
and a single post stands guard.
Skin of silken white so fair,
flowing tresses of long hair,
Ellen lived as Ah Foo's wife
learning ways of Chinese life.
Time had come a child to bear
far away from Doctor's care
but by sombre candle light
child birth claimed them both at night.
Buried in a stony mound
with a picket fence surround,
Ellen and her baby stay,
so remote and far away.
The Chinese have departed
but their Tree of Heaven grows
about the lonely grave site
where I left a cross that shows.
One corner post remaining,
carved by Ah Foo's saddened hand
is a remnant of the times
of past history of our land.
REPEAT CHORUS.
by Kevin Pye
Writing Competition
Free to enter competition. Mudgee Valley Writers are currently hosting a free to enter writing competition for people living in the Mid Western Council area.
The Council have sponsored the competition and it is open to all age groups.
The theme is "local". Word count up to 2000 for prose or 48 lines for poetry.
Entry forms with full details can be obtained from www.mudgeevalleywriters.wordpress.com.
The closing date is June 28.