| Dogs of Australia For German migrants interned as enemy aliens on Torrens Island in the Port Adelaide River Estuary during World War 1. 1 I am a dog of AustraliaWalked here by this country’s first people Across a land bridge long since flooded An apex hunter as desert dweller At home as a loner or part of a pack I am this country’s wild dog After me a town’s called Warragul But my true name is the dingo I am a dog of Australia 2 I am a dog of Australia Striped with ochre on rocks to the north A marsupial wolf since wiped from this land Saved by the strait for that isle to the south Yet bounties on my skull for sheep-kills Will let me live on only in myth Known as the Tasmanian Tiger My true name is the thylacine I am a dog of Australia 3 I am a dog of Australia As bred by outback cattlemen Crossing breeds from Britain with dingoes Renowned as alert and loyal Herding stock with nips to the achilles Sharing farm kennels with Kelpies My true name is the Australian cattle dog Known to most as the Queensland Blue Heeler I am a dog of Australia 4 I am a dog of Australia As bred by German foresters To hunt badgers, rabbits and foxes My spirit not skinny like my body down burrows Yet laughed at down here as a sausage dog I’m kicked in the belly while held on a leash Since cruelty’s become patriotic My true name is der Dachshund I am a dog of Australia 5 I am a dog of Australia Linked in blood to the wolves of Black Forest Loved as guardian, searcher and guide My spirit proudest among canines world-wide Even in war, no one’s kicking my ribs Those footpath patriots not so brave Known as the Alsatian or German Shepherd My true name is der deutsche Schäferhund I am a dog of Australia 6 I am a dog of Australia Still linked in blood to my kind in Europe Punched this far south by iron-mailed fists A welcome migrant, my skills in demand Down here these days I’m kicked in the guts Accused of sabotage against my new home Interned without cause after years of peaceMy true name is ein Deutsch-Australier I am a German Australian Two or three storeys tall – a triolet two or three storeys tall the old stone buildings lean in close to hear travellers’ tales two or three stories tall enough to shock one and all in this cobbled streetscape scene two or three storeys tall the old stone buildings lean About the Author:  Rodney Williams’ poetry has appeared in Blue Dog, Mascara Literary Review, Overland, Southerly and StylusLit (Australia), Antipodes (USA) and Poetry New Zealand. Both published through Ginninderra Press (Port Adelaide), his books include A bird-loving man (2013) and In that dusty rearview mirror (2015). Rodney’s lyrics feature on a Piedmont Blues album That String and Its Kite Too (2016) produced in collaboration with singer-guitarist Ricky Allan. |