The Adventures of Buck the Easter Bilby: Buck Saves Easter
Buck the Bilby, on his way,
Came hopping through the bush one day,
His Easter vest looked oh, so bold,
In dashing green and glistening gold.
On his back, a duffle bag,
Held snacks, supplies and rolled-up swag,
And firm within his tiny clutch,
A basket FULL of eggs and such!
.
Born and raised in Pilbara’s west,
Buck passed the Easter Bilby test,
He’d trained to work in rain and sun,
To make the yearly Queensland run.
He shivered in the autumn breeze,
That rustled the acacia trees,
Then ate some seeds and burrowed deep,
To have his midday bilby sleep.
Buck awoke, refreshed and ready,
Swag rolled up and basket steady,
“Best be off, the sun is low,
Goodbye Pilbara! Off I go!”
He had an extra stop to plan,
Before his Easter run began,
A birthday bash for his best mate,
“No time to waste, I can’t be late”.
So on he hopped, all through the night,
Past the Great Australian Bight,
He kept his bounty, safe and sound,
As he travelled, Queensland bound,
Buck neared the Great Dividing Range,
To find a landscape, new and strange –
The desert plains he’d known since birth,
Replaced by mounds, of rugged earth.
With breaking dawn, he came to reach,
A small, secluded, private beach,
And just beyond, he saw the house,
Of Marty, the marsupial mouse.
Marty knew Buck’s best friend well,
A nifty numbat, known as Nell,
And this year for her special day,
They’d planned a party, by the bay
Marty stepped onto his porch,
To light Buck’s pathway, with a torch,
“Come on in mate, glad you’re here,
This is your busy time of year”.
Buck hopped to Marty, shook his paw,
And left his basket, at the door,
He stepped into a festive mood,
With icy drinks, and scrumptious food!
All of Nell’s good friends were there,
Icing cake, with extra care,
Hanging streamers, playing tunes,
Blowing up big, round balloons.
“This surprise will be the best!”
Said Marty, to his party guests,
“It’s nearly time Buck – watch outside.
Turn out the lights, it’s time to hide!”
And hide they did, all quiet until,
Nell’s footsteps broke the silence still,
“She’s here!” said Buck, “Get ready guys,
When Nell walks in, we’ll yell ‘surprise!’”
“Hello?” called Nell, peaking inside,
“Surprise!” her hidden friends all cried.
The lights came on, her friends appeared,
“Happy Birthday Nell!” they cheered.
Full of joy, Nell clapped her paws,
And danced around the timber floors,
“Thanks so much”, she said to Marty,
“What a perfect birthday party!”
First Nell opened gifts galore,
Then lit a bonfire by the shore,
They all enjoyed their favourite games,
And toasted marshmallows in the flames.
Later, at the party’s end,
Buck went inside with all his friends.
Marty made up extra beds,
To rest their tired and weary heads.
Buck, of course, was feeling worn,
But had to rise, at crack of dawn,
Tomorrow just as he had planned,
He’d drop off eggs, to all Queensland!
When morning light, replaced moonbeams,
The sun stirred Buck, from his sweet dreams,
“It’s Saturday, I must depart,
Today my egg run’s due to start!”
He yawned and stretched his rested legs,
Then hopped outside to fetch his eggs,
His face so sad, he could not mask it,
Buck had lost his Easter basket!
“Wake up, wake up!” the Bilby cried,
“I left my basket, just outside,
Now it’s gone, without a trace”,
He said, as tears ran down his face.
His furry friends came running out,
Responding to the Bilby’s shout,
Nell smiled at Buck, “It’s not the end –
We’ll help you out, ‘cause you’re our friend!”
“You’ll really help me?” questioned Buck,
Who felt a bit down on his luck.
“Of course” said Marty, “and I bet,
This Easter proves the best one yet!”
Just then a voice called from below,
“I saw the thief – a shrewd dingo!”
Buck queried, “Who was that I heard?”
Nell pointed “Look! A ladybird!”
The little bug, said whilst Buck slept,
A stealthy dingo quietly crept,
Up Marty’s stairs on nimble paws,
To snatch the basket in his jaws.
Buck shook his head in disbelief,
Determined now, to catch the thief,
“Let’s go!” he shouted, feeling brave,
“We have to find that dingo’s cave.”
They asked a nearby cockatoo,
To aid them with a birds-eye view,
The helpful bird, flew far and wide,
To find where dingo liked to hide.
They shortly heard his squawking song,
“Go south towards the billabong”,
“Alright” said Buck, “Let’s rock and roll!
We’ll find him at the waterhole.”
The group set off, without a sound,
Hunching low, towards the ground,
They had a clever plan in mind,
That needed all their skills combined.
Buck let his friends each nominate,
A mission to co-ordinate,
They gathered items, for the ploy
With Marty as the team’s decoy.
Prepped and ready, to proceed,
Marty bravely took the lead,
He lined up dingo, dead ahead,
And pelted gumnuts at his head!
The startled dingo soon gave chase,
With stinging welts upon his face,
Marty led him, ‘round a ledge,
Upon a log, and to its edge…
The timber teetered, with their weight,
As dingo moved to take the bait.
“I’ve got you now” he snickered slyly,
“I’m the fastest and most wily”.
Hidden on the ledge above,
Nell gave a pile of rocks a shove,
They landed on their target square,
And flung that dingo out of there!
Free to make the final save,
From deep in the unguarded cave,
Buck scurried through the darkness blind,
To claim what he had come to find.
“Yippee! Yahoo!” soon came the shout,
“I’ve found it, now I’m coming out.”
Buck hopped out proudly, smiling bright,
His paws gripped on his basket tight.
Buck thanked his friends for all their help,
Glanced at the sun, and gave a yelp,
“We’ve been so busy, fighting crime,
I’ve gone and lost track of the time!
How can I make it, all the way,
‘round Queensland after this delay?”
“I know” said Marty, with a laugh,
“Let’s use the old bush telegraph!”
Every creature, great and small,
Rallied to the bilby’s call,
Koalas, magpies, kangaroos,
(A sad and sorry dingo too!)
The sky transformed from blue to red,
“It’s nearly dark” the bilby said,
“Twelve hours ‘til new day is dawning –
Quick! These eggs are due by morning!”
Furry friends and birds of feather,
Buckled down and worked together,
Eggs were hid with total ease,
Under rocks and up in trees.
Just in time the deed was done,
And children woke prepared for fun,
They laughed out loud with smiling faces,
Finding eggs in fun, new places.
Every house for hours after,
Rang with sounds of children’s laughter.
Boys and girls unwrapped their treats,
And gobbled up the chocolate sweets.
Buck had cleaned up dingo’s mess,
Easter was a big success!
But silence filled the bush around,
The animals were sleeping sound.
© R.J. Coco
Australian Children’s Poetry 