Australian Dream

Here's a version of the Australian dream

Some outer suburb in the 1950s

Exchanging pleasantries like a sport

Keep it polite, keep it short

firm handshakes

Have a nice day,

“Ah gee, would you look at that? Might be rain”

They had a few kids

Frank had a good job, they looked the part

Not a doctor or a lawyer, but not far off.

Church on Sunday

The kids were bright enough

Nothing for the neighbours to talk about

But then Dot changed after the last child came along

Her behaviour became erratic

In her brain was some static

She gave the neighbours something to talk about

Eyebrows started raising over cuppas, scones and raisins

Just a few bad days, they’d say.

She’ll be right as rain.

Spooked like a horse in a passing storm

Look away, be the loveable larrikin

Look away like we did from the beginning

Sleepwalking through your Australian dream

The old holden started to shake until the wheels fell off

Something wasn’t right, the numbers weren’t stacking up

There’s post traumatic stresses and financial pressures

And all those kids howling for attention

All the things that people couldn't mention

“Weak, soft as butter, stop seeking attention”

Two world wars fought and won, the dark days over

All those boys died so we could live in peace and

Prosperity

Everything’s a blessing for you and me

And all those aches and pains

They’re just tricks of the mind, they're Illusions,

a waste of time.

I’m sleeping walking through your Australian

So they put Dot in a home,

Sent her off to the funny farm

Her problems couldn’t be fixed

With a walk around the block,

They found her in the middle of the street

Crying out “Aren’t we lucky? Ain't life sweet?”

Frank couldn’t deal with the mess

The kids were sent away with the shame of it.

One of them was orphaned

The youngest with Mrs Gordon around the corner

The eldest, he was 6

Stayed at home looking around

Wondering where everyone had fuckin gone.

Spooked like a horse in a passing storm

Look away, be the loveable larrikin

Look away like we did from the beginning

I’m sleepwalking through your Australian dream

The mirage at the bottom of all your talking.

After a few years things became stable

It was put as a suburban bad dream

In some outer suburb in the 50s

A speed hump, an anomaly

A strange turn in the quest for normality

In the end they achieved their goal

Everyone including the neighbours stopped talking about the entire episode

But what of the hangover?

The dodgy foundations supporting the next generation,

All those things not mentioned, mis-remembered

Too embarrassed to admit

Too committed to a concept to express doubt in it.

And anyway we got all those photos hanging on the wall

But done the eyes say it all

Dont the eyes say more than the smiles ever could?

Spooked like a horse in a passing storm

Look away, be the loveable larrikin

Look away like we did from the beginning

Sleep walking through your australian dream

The mirage at the bottom of all your talking.

How do you fix something so broken?

And what of the giant when he’s woken?