A retrospective Saturday poem

Like Julie Christie at the Oscars this is a little bit 80s

Saturday horoscope with Crystal
(a good day for family activities)

now, as four, we travel
taking the 210 bus
over-full with race bound gamblers
we stop short of the race track
to indulge in the school gala
each of us tracking
our favoured activities
a kind of gambling
with different odds

returning home
with our winnings
three chickens
two bottles of wine
a pie plate
not to mention
one shied coconut
there is room
for conversation
on a less crowded bus
advice from an older woman
on how to make stuffing
recalling past experiences
of boiling rice in the outback
where no bread was available

we had bought bread
with lunches in mind
marmite sandwiches
& cheese on toast

this conversation
changes our plans
stuffed chickens
with fruit juice
& cheap wine
make their contribution
to family dinner party
while on TV, David Lange
our Prime Minister, gives
the best Oxford Debating Speech in years
& receives a standing ovation

Judith McNeil