It's been three months since it rained
Our earth is parched and brown
Yet with the big floods of last year
We had watched as wildlife drowned

The cattle are dying in droves
Our sheep are falling over where they stand
There's no water for the thirsty beasts
Dry tears from the eyes of man

The carrion crows clear the earth
Picking off meat to the bone
Screeching and fighting in the dry air
Leaving a carcass rancid and fly blown

Underbrush so dry it takes but a spark
To turn it into a fiery red glow
Whilst everything runs frantically from it's path
The firestorm ruthlessly grows

Aided by hot northerly winds,
And no water to put out the fire
Man watches it jump from treetop to tree
In it's path we run fearing for our lives

Brave men too exhausted to go on
Small in the face of the inferno
Beating at flames with wet hessian bags
Trying to win the fight with each blow

Just when despair threatens to take hold
And worried this time they won't win
A hint of rain rejoices their hearts
They can smell it blowing in the wind

Help comes at last from the sky
A deluge of rain crashes down
Jubilent men dance with their arms in the air
Thankful their luck had turned around

After the last spark has gone out
Devestation can be seen all around
The tears of man freely flows
Not a bird, tree or animal can be found

Nature works silently like magic
Men start to rebuild their lives
As a tiny green bud breaks the ground
The Australian landscape revives

©Janine Daniel