The women of Barwon Heads

They are tough like a bull and kind as a Burmese cat.
They want to work so that their husbands can rest.
They can argue with policemen and never get fined.
They never gamble on the lottery or pokie machines.
They laugh at death as if it were a sideshow clown.
They don’t believe in the madness of the full moon.
They discipline their children with a silent stare.
They have served beer to the toughest bikers and barflies.
They can make the ukulele sound like a grand piano.
They conspire with love to make the perfect dawn.
They are not Amazon women dancing in nightclubs.
They scrub strangers’ floors to put their children through school.
They laugh at some poets who think they are kings.
They can be as silent as a thief to steal your heart.
They like to get drunk and sweet talk their husbands.
They put fear into the hearts of the bravest warriors.
These women are mortal but their passions endure.
as they wait on the pier for the fishing boats to arrive
to take the hands of their men and give respite from the sea.