A Tinge of Twilight

A skeleton of eucalyptus gum Silhouetted against night sky A distant didgeridoo playing A kookaburra’s chattering cry The mystical tinge of twilight Mixed with red sunset’s glow Fades into an oncoming night As a chill wind begins to blow The howling of the dingo pack A shiver creeps up my spine I am lost in the Bush, all alone Bathed in the eerie moonshine The tinge of twilight is fading In this most unforgiving land And I dig myself into a hollow In Australia’s dry desert sand I see someone is watching me Where I‘m lying in the hollow It’s an Aborigine, tall and lean Then he gestures me to follow ‘What is your name?’ I ask him Seems he’s not one for talking He points a bony index finger He turns and sets off walking I follow for around three hours Until we reach a familiar place I turn to give my thanks to him But he's gone without a trace Next morning back in the town I was telling old Bluey Magee How I was in the Bush and lost And of my guide, the Aborigine ‘Little doubt who you described Curly Goolong was your guide But I confess I don’t know how, Been ten years since Curly died’