The Dusty Men

Four men travel a dusty road

Tight of belt and light of load

Weary feet shuffling slow

Where do the four dusty men go?

Man number one is a man named Tom

He never speaks much of where he is from

But he holds the ace of spades with a tear in his eye

As the bright sun sets in the twilight sky

Man number two goes by the name of Bert

Wearing the rags of a silken shirt

Early each morning with a flask of gin

He sneaks off alone to quietly sing

Man number three is a spry old cricket

Said his friends out west called him Wicket

With gnarly old fingers as light as a breeze

He lifts heavy purses just as easy as you please

Man number four doesnt say much

The other dusty men all call him Dutch

They can’t imagine that his road has been fun

For poor old Dutch doesn’t have a tongue

Four dusty men travel a dusty road

Tight of belt and light of load

None can ever say if the dusty men know

Where the roads they travel even go

©Aarron Mondello

2/11/2018

A Hallowed Night

Creaking floorboards in the hall

Shadows creeping up the walls

Ol’ Pumpkin head with eyes aflame

Screaming spooks gone insane

Laughter deep within the closet

Not game enough to stand and close it

Dark places filling hearts with dread

As smiling teeth glint under the bed

Hollow cries and night time howls

Silent fall the hunting owls

As through the back garden creeps

One who will steal you in your sleep

Warts and pus filled growths abide

On the witches leather hide

Over a sleeping town she flies

Cackling madly at the skies

In the light of a full yellow moon

A beast is born to hunger soon

Thick of fur with giant paws

Tearing fangs and rending claws

Here on this night the veil grows thin

Realm of life and death mingling

The faded ghost of a loved one lost

Pay respects or pay the cost

©Aarron Mondello

29/10/2018

Down to the billabong

The buzz of life is in the air
Magpies sing their morning song
And a fat old shuffling wombat
Plodded down to the billabong

“Mornin’ Roo” the wombat said
“Set to be a lovely day”
But the cranky big red only grunted
And rudely hopped away

“So it is, Wombat old boy”
Said Brown Snake in the grass
“and don’t mind Red, for as we know
He is prone to be an arse”

Wombat chuckled softly
And continued to shuffle along
Chatting with Brown Snake
Heading down to the billabong

They made their way towards the bank
Of the the still, inviting pool
Passed under a great big gum tree
Through shade so very cool

“Ooroo you two. Say, what’s new?”
Came a slow voice from the tree
Wombat looked up and who’d he spy?
Koala, as high as he could be

“G’day Koala,” wombat said
With a smile for their meeting
“It comes as no surprise to see
Again you’re bloody eating”

“Yeah man” Koala slurred
Then promptly fell asleep
And Wombat thought “Bloody Hell,
Those leaves must be a treat”

On he shambled, old Wombat
A slow and leisurely crawl
When just a few paces on
He heard Black Cockies raucous call

“Wombat, you plod, move along
Before the waters all drunk dry
It never is a pleasant sight
To see a wombat cry”

“Ha Ha Galah, very funny
You’re such a flaming riot.
Do the whole bushland a favour
And just be bloody quiet”

Black Cockies laugh echoed
Through the bushland all around
While unbeknownst to Wombat
Came Emu tall and proud

Too late Emu saw him
And tried to slow her run
Long legs becoming tangled
She fell hard on to her bum

“Emu!” Wombat called out loud
“Love, are you alright?
Did you bruise yourself,
Falling from such height”?

Emu wobbled to her feet
“I’m fine, just carry on”
And feeling quite embarrassed
She fled to the billabong

Dingo slunk down the path
Echidnas quill stuck in her snout
And Wombat heard the snickering
Of Echidna near about

Old Frilled Neck ran past
Frill rustling in the wind
Coming first in a race
That only she was in

A shadow passed over Wombat
Kookaburra flying high
Laughing at the shenanigans
He spied from in the sky

Then Wombat came finally
To the banks where Wood Duck nests
He stopped near an old campfire
To take a minutes rest

He snuffed the ground for sign of man
But the human had moved on
It seemed all manner of creatures
Came down to the billabong

©Aarron Mondello
7/10/2018

Image credit: An image of A billabong by Harold Cazneaux

Winter Wind

Blowing down a mountain

A wayward Winter wind

Traveling with all speed

Trying to catch the Spring

But Spring was just too spritely

And quickly dodged aside

So the curious Winter wind

Blew onto Summer time

Summer time was much too dry

Winter wind grew much too warm

So it skirted ‘round the edges

And to Autumn it blew on

Yet when the winter wind

Blew golden Autumn leaves

Tears of ice it cried

When they fell down from their trees

So weak and barely blowing

Winter wind came finally home

And never through the seasons

Did Winter again roam

©Aarron Mondello

26/8/2018

Devils Night

Skeletal rattling in my ear

Whispering to me words of fear

While from the shadows demons leer

And downward turned is the Dark Moons sneer

Somewhere behind me comes a crunching

What shadow bred beast be munching

I turn around and see it slouching

Over death, a silhouette is crouching

I spin and run on leaden feet

Laughter echoes down the street

Of such surprise awaited me

As from the Dark Moon I did flee

In front of me did alight

A beast to behold a fearsome sight

Plucked from the bowels of this Dark Mooned night

I halted there full of fright

It opened up its slimy maw

Serrated teeth therein I saw

A creature outside nature’s law

The beast reached out a devil’s claw

Shameful tears of hate I cried

Away from baleful eyes I shied

When it spoke to me of how heaven lied

In the lilting tones of my dead bride

I roared primal rage through flowing tears

And saw shock replace the demons sneer

I launched myself like a spear

And felt above the Dark Moons fear

I pounded hard into the beast

Tearing at it with nails and teeth

And when it’s thrashing finally ceased

I set my vicious anger free

And for what was left of that Dark Mooned night

Until dawn spread it’s pale light

I felled each beast that came in sight

While the Dark Moon quaked on its velvet height

©Aarron Mondello

20/8/2018

Words

Do you have some sad words

That I can put down on this page

Or perhaps some fiery angry words

That make you scream and rage

Where are your profound words

To make me stop and think

To challenge all my beliefs

And place them on the brink

What about your jealous words

Tinged with hues of green

Or melancholy bittersweet

Words of things you’ve seen

Can you find some words for me

Of joyful laughing times

Heady happy memories

That I can fashion into rhymes

Sit a while and tell me words

Of all things in your head

Words that I can twist and turn

Into tales to be read

©Aarron Mondello

8/8/2018

Steps

Step lightly on the edge of the blade

On one side doom

On the other you’re saved

Which do you choose

Which is your way

To the dark of night

Or the light of day

Step careful on the mountain path

The road is long

And often hard

Straighten your legs

And strengthen your heart

Only your hands

Can touch the stars

Walk surely through the roads of life

Sure of foot

And head held high

When it seems for naught

That you strive

Seek the comfort

In a loved ones eyes

©Aarron Mondello

2/8/2018

The End

Forlorn they cry where shadows lie
And husbands leave the home
Sons and brothers, uncles and fathers,
Across a dead land roam

Skies of black above their backs
Shoulders hunched by woe
A weary tred as legions head
To face the tyrant foe

For rest they yearn while fires burn
Beacons on the horizon
Terror signs of evil times
And shadow hordes arising

A shifting cloak of boiling smoke
An acrid rotting smell
Hid beasts of death with poisonous breath
Eyes lit with fires of hell

Face to face with weapons raised
In a land gone black with blight
Brave men roared when arrows soared
Shadows called delight

On that field did no man yield
Each and all were slain
The shadow hordes and Midnight Lords
Marched on to bloody reign

Forgotten King

Follow the wind

Over the land

Over canyons deep

Across the fields

Of wildflowers

And into the forest creep

Through the shadows

Of gnarled old oak

Passed the moonlit clearing

Step wide and far

Of the witch’s hut

Her eyes you should be fearing

Stay on the banks

Of the rushing river

It will lead you from the trees

When you emerge

At the river’s mouth

Turn your bearing east

Up and over

Rolling hills

Past a sapphire lake

Until you find

A hard dirt road

Winding like a snake

Take the left

Follow the path

Above a city ruined

Crumbling walls

Broken domes

How many are there entombed?

The path you’re on

Will wind and rise

To a high and jutting cliff

Where in a hall

Awaits a king

Forgotten and bereft

For long ago

Far out to sea

His queen was drowned and gone

Heart turned cold

Tears of ice

He set his heart to mourn

He cried his love

From empty eyes

And sat his throne in dark despair

The years ran

Like the tides that took her

His kingdom fell to disrepair

There he still is

Upon his throne

The Forgotten Kings grim fate

To sit alone

In countless tears

And for his Queen await

1/7/2018

Tarmon Gaidon

Draghkar wings black the skies

Trollocs loose guttural cries

Dark hounds lope with easy strides

While in the shadows Myrddraal hide

Dreadlords cast about the Power

Lightning falls in crackling showers

Aes Sedai and Asha’man

Soldiers all make ready to stand

Wolf brother hunting with his pack

The nations all stand at the Dragon’s back

The Gambler fights with a fevered eye

On the Shepherds shoulders salvation lies

Sound the horns of Tarmon Gaidon

Rally the Sisters from Tar Valon

Summon the Spears ready to dance

See Shayol Ghul razed by the Dragons hand

29/5/2018

A poem written by Aarron Mondello using characters and events from the book series The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson