Category: Before the Rain

There’s plenty of work down south
hops, tobacco, fruit picking,
but not until late February –
almost 2 months distant.

The employment bureau gave me his number
“Bill,”
tall, broad shouldered, bearded
fencing contractor
looking for a labourer
someone to do some work,
“yakka” he called it.

My pencil physique causes out loud doubts
I tell him I’ve been working on a farm
“good – can you lift that ”
“that,” being a bundle of palings wirestrapped together
I can. And do.
“You’re stronger than you look.”

I tell him I’m only wanting six weeks work,
he tells me he’ll decide that.
“Start on Friday.” Today is Wednesday.
The year is three days old.

There was no Internet then
phones yet to be mobile – forget smart
in rural areas, calls went to an operator
toll operators knew who phoned who – and why
and who didn’t. And why not.

Manual exchanges
clunking
slow
and expensive – very
my parents said they would call only when certain.

“Congratulations,” said my father
paterfamilias – it was his role to tell me.
Exams passed – I’m officially a graduate.
The farmer said: “ when do you want to finish
it would be useful if you could stay until Christmas.”
Christmas it is.

Christmas eve
back at home
in my hometown – my university town. Both.
“ When will you look for a job?” My parents asked
“a real job,” they add.

At the careers office it had all seemed too dreary.
Familiar tasks.
Familiar streets.
Familiar people –
I wanted something different,
to see and live in another part of the country
and
then the world.