Old Friends
We owe them much,
our friends from times past,
yet they fade now
from the consciousness of most.
We should, when we stop to reflect,
recall how they threw themselves
without complaint
against the collar of hard times,
never tiring, calmly facing the unknown.
We should remember
long treks through landscapes
harsh and unforgiving,
the laden coaches and wagons,
heavy ploughs and cruel winches,
droving camps, wild bush cattle musters,
the terror of the battlefield
and certain horrific fate.
Remember too
the courage, strength,
patient companionship,
dignity and innate gentleness
of these old friends.
there is something about the outside of a horse
that is good for the inside of a man
—attributed to Winston Churchill
J Bandidt ©
August 2015
We owe them much,
our friends from times past,
yet they fade now
from the consciousness of most.
We should, when we stop to reflect,
recall how they threw themselves
without complaint
against the collar of hard times,
never tiring, calmly facing the unknown.
We should remember
long treks through landscapes
harsh and unforgiving,
the laden coaches and wagons,
heavy ploughs and cruel winches,
droving camps, wild bush cattle musters,
the terror of the battlefield
and certain horrific fate.
Remember too
the courage, strength,
patient companionship,
dignity and innate gentleness
of these old friends.
there is something about the outside of a horse
that is good for the inside of a man
—attributed to Winston Churchill
J Bandidt ©
August 2015