The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Holiday (04/05/12)
Grab the billie and grab the pan,
Don’t forget the fly spray can,
Load the roof rack and the van,
And in a hurray if you can.
Why the rush, what’s the haste,
There really is no time to waste,
A campfire chicken needs a baste,
What a lovely roasted taste.

So now it’s off we go in a rush,
Driving out into the Aussie bush,
Kookaburras laugh in a gush,
Listen now, hush, hush, hush.
Wallaby, koala, dingo and kangaroo,
They’re running wild, not in a zoo,
Gum trees and wattle are out there too,
Plenty of bush walks for us to do.

Spending time in God’s creation,
In this wonderful southern nation,
Visit an outback cattle station,
Lose the hustle of life’s agitation.
We’ll sing praises to His name,
Leaving behind the video game,
You’ll be really glad you came,
On this holiday of worthy fame.

We’ll light the campfire at night,
Watch the flames dance in delight,
Cook on that fire and enjoy every bite,
Look at the stars, and gasp, “What a sight!”
Then we’ll slap mosquitoes all night long,
Wish we were singing a different song,
The comforts of home are long gone,
Replaced by creatures that seem all wrong.

Things out there can make you dead,
Crocodiles and other things to dread,
What might I find when I go bed,
Between the sheets or under my head.
There are snakes of course, out there too,
And bigger flies than in a zoo,
Red back spiders, more than one or two,
Check the lid when using the loo.

Will this really be a good holiday,
Sounds more like a terrible fray,
Will we enjoy our time away,
Maybe at home we should stay.
We can still worship our God,
Here at home before we plod,
Nestled nice like peas in a pod,
A comfy bed when we go to nod

Grab the billie and grab the pan,
Chuck away the fly spray can,
Quickly unload the rack and van,
Staying here and safe is what I am.



Footnote: a billie is an outdoor kettle that you put on an open fire, Aussie bush is the Australian outback countryside, kookaburras are birds that make a laughing sound, dingos are wild dogs, a cattle station is like a ranch, there is a fly in Australia called a ’March fly’ and it is huge and bites, red back spiders are poisonous, a loo is a toilet. Australia also has some of the most deadly poisonous snakes in the world
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 1350 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Kristine Baker
04/13/12
I see a spelling contridiction between your title and the word billie in the text.
Genia Gilbert
04/14/12
This was fun. I think you need to be more careful with punctuation and spelling, but I enjoyed your poem, and think the right choice was made at the end. lol
C D Swanson 
04/14/12
This was so interesting and fun to read. I love hearing words indigenous to other regions and countries. I learned quite a bit from the terminology. Thanks!

Good job and nice flow to this. On topic and creative.

God bless~
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/14/12
Oh I loved this. It was a whimsical delight. You had each line perfect with rhyme and rhythm. I smiled thoughout. The ending took me by surprise too. What a wonderful way to come full circle.

The only thing I noticed is I thought hurray was a typo for hurry.

I also appreciate the footnote at the end. I was going to google billy. :) I love it when I learn to words and can picture lands I've never visited.
Allison Egley 
04/16/12
Nice job with this. My only complaint is that, despite some of the creatures you mentioned, you did absolutely nothing to quell my desire to visit Australia. ;)
Donna Wilcher
04/16/12
Oh...I loved this! I smiled all the way through it! Great job!
Geoffrey johnstone
04/16/12
Crikey. That was a fairdinkum article.
Ellen Carr 
04/16/12
As a fellow Aussie I empathise with the bush and its joys and 'surprises'! It rings true.
Yvonne Blake 
04/16/12
This is super fun! You've put the excitement of going on an adventure into the rhythm of your lines. I love this!
Verna Cole Mitchell 
04/18/12
Thank you for taking me on an Australian holiday--my first!
Nancy Bucca
04/19/12
This is absolutely delightful and hilarious. I enjoyed every bit from start to finish. I love the part about "slap mosquitoes all night long."

Your explanations at the end were a marvelous enhancement to the story. Thanks so much for adding them in.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/04/13
Actually, for your very first entry, I think it's quite good even though you were in a hurry to shoot hurray! You have made a lot of progress in one sense, but in another you were pretty darn good and have very few cringe worthy moments. Now my first story...my face burns just thinking. I also can't believe you have only been here a year, I feel like I have known you forever--and in a good way. :-)