The man from North Pine River

North Pine River is a local river that I like to fish.
I had in mind "The Man from Snowy River" which is a brilliant piece of prose written by an Australian Bush Poet, Banjo Patterson (back in 1890) when I wrote this.
It is nowhere near what Banjo wrote of course, but it was fun to write:

The Man from North Pine River


The man from North Pine River
I’ve heard some people say
Was every bit as good
As that bloke down Snowy way
He couldn’t crack a whip
Ride a horse?
There is no way!
He could not compete in this regard
With that bloke down Snowy way
Well just what is his claim to fame?
The man from North Pine River
When you hear what he could do
It’ll cause your spine to shiver
With a rod in both hands
A beer or maybe two
He’d crack those rods just like a whip
It’d truly amaze you
Snags and trees and stumps and logs
Are no obstacle for him
As he’d crack those 10’ rods
Mouth stretched in a cheesy grin
And then it happened
All at once
Tight lines and screaming reel
He’d hooked a monster fish for sure
It may have been a 10’ eel.


He battled it for hours on end
That man from North Pine River
And when you hear what happened next
In your boots you’ll quiver
Storm clouds began to form ‘round his boat
Lightning, thunder too
But he just grinned and took it in
For he was not a shrew
And as the eel then towed his boat
Against the current strong
A shark’s fin then appeared of course
This battle wont take long
The shark engulfed that slimy eel
One bite and it was done
That man from North Pine River
Had wished he’d brought his gun
The shark then towed his boat with ease
3 anchors could not stop it
When the shark saw open seas
He took off just like a rocket
Now when the nights are stormy
Dark and full of gloom
Have a thought for our friend
From the safety of your room
If you listen carefully
Above that clap of thunder
Tight lines and screaming reel you’ll hear
From the Man from North Pine River

Written by: Matthew Smith

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