Crows a foil for the sun.
Utes with dusty skirts
drowse under peppercorns.
A dog sniffs a tyre,
pisses on it, wanders on.
Hats tide-marked by sweat
men, all knees and elbows,
cock farm boots on roo bars
up-end beer cans
discuss the week in silences.
A stride away the Nullarbor waits,
bluebush drained white by glare.
Author's Note: Penong is a tiny town of about 70 people at the head of the Great Australian Bight, which is that big curved bit of coastline on the southern edge of Australia. Pastoral and wheat country, some of the best surf in Australia and right at the edge of the Nullarbor Plain. About 900kms west of Adelaide. Known for White Pointer sharks, some 5 metres long.
Highway across the flat, arid Nullarbor Plain in South Australia