Since Carl's the Poet Laureate of Australia, I figured I'd share one of my own compositions. I'm no Carl by a long shot but like my Dad used to say, "Even a broke watch is right twice a day."

Ballad of Andoya


They came into the shop that day
To make the final flight
They laughed and joked, dressed to fly
We’d go home the next night


The six of them flew their A-10s
Into a sky of gray
No one knew that one of them had
Started his final day


Five returned later, heads hung low
After a fruitless search
We’d lost a friend without a trace
What happened to poor Lurch?


The OPSO came for records of
All the survival gear
My signature was everywhere
Inspected it all year


No beacon, no chute, no wreckage
Had I failed my good friend?
I knew nothing but was worried
I might have caused his end


Maybe he pulled the handles
Had something had not worked right?
Visions of him freezing to death
Tortured me day and night


Lurch was a family man who
Loved life and loved to fly
His wife and baby were back home
Dutifully standing by


That first night was the worst for me
No sleep just guilt and shame
Sleet fell hard as heaven cried
No comfort for me came


Some weeks later wreckage was found
Beneath ten feet of snow
That mountainside in Norway was
The only grave he’d know


Lost in weather, he descended
To get a better view
Killed on impact, an avalanche
There’s nothing I could do


I still dream about him sometimes
My eyes fill up with tears
Still sad I couldn’t save my friend
After so many years