The Ice Barely Melted

Happy National Barbeque
Day, & more pertinently,
perhaps – may there be
many benevolent returns
of the cultural cringe
which typically suggests
we’re Antipodeans

No worries, mate, it’s
Australia Day when anything
reasonable goes well with a
cold beer, even a sticky
wicket, but don’t be an
ingrate and burn the
bloody sausages, okay

Listen to iconic music by
legendary groups like Men
At Work, Cold Chisel, The
Seekers ‘n even Midnight
Oil – or the cricket – chew
the fat about this and that
waiting on the barbeque

Sure, there’s a mob of
rules about being proud,
civil and responsible on
Australia Day – like not
getting too pissed to drive
home, which seems to be
up at the top of th’ list

But if you’re already home
that lot scarcely matters
a toss – so rip the scab gladly
off another coldie and
contemplate what a dead
loss it’d be if eskies
hadn’t been invented

Tomorrow you can quite
truthfully say – yeah, can’t
remember how the prawns
tasted but, hooray, the ice
in the esky had barely
melted by the time the
barbie was ready anyway
© 26 January 2012, I. D. Carswell