Harriet Heaven-Sent of Eastern Australia,

Packed her bags with her paraphernalia.

She waved farewell as she boarded the bus,

While friends and relatives made quite a fuss.

She had made them proud. It was such a surprise,

The day that Harriet won the grand prize.

Harriet Heaven-Sent, a writer of stanza,

An artist, a wordsmith had won the bonanza!

Harriet Heaven-Sent had written a ode.

She’d won a year’s residency at “The Farmyard.”

The retreat that inspires the most beautiful writing,

A remote island paradise – so rare; so exciting…

And after a year of running the farm,

Where each dawn the rooster crowed with alarm,

And the sheep followed close and the goats liked to munch,

On Harriet’s washing, for dinner and lunch.

Where the donkey would bray when Harriet wrote,

He-haw! Hee-haw! Not a melodic note.

And as for the harmony, the horses and cows –

Succeeded in raising Harriet’s brows.

Well the list did go on, but there was no escape,

As a burly great bull was parked at the gate!

So Harriet Heaven-Sent stayed for the year.

After which time she changed her career.

Yes, Harriet Heaven-Sent – was returned to her home,

She was air-lifted out – the writer of poems.

And to the dismay of all whom she knew,

Became a farmer! – Yes this is true.

So each year a chopper drops in a bard

A writer of stanza, to work“The Farmyard.”

And no one knows why but each year’s the same,

The bard returns home with a whole different aim.