AN OVINE LAMENT by Jan Lowing

The public thinks we're dopey, that we're only stupid sheep,
The only use some find for us is putting them to sleep,
But this country grew and prospered, all because of wool…
The kids these days would laugh and say, what a load of bull!

Granny knits a baby’s vest, a Mongol felts a home…
Both use the greatest fibre the world has ever known.
It’s used for filmy saris or woolly coats and hats,
A trendy fashion statement, or insulating batts.

When will Bob Brown wake up we’re a dream for greenie cranks?
You can recycle all of us, meat and skin and shanks…
Naturally replacing, a renewable resource,
And the ultimate in flavour… lamb with fresh mint sauce!

Once we really made the grade, our name was up in lights,
Fame and fortune, headlines large, we reached the dizzy heights…
The scientists cloned a sheep, and had to call her Dolly..
Typical of humankind's never ending folly.

The years roll on, Australia depends on us no more,
Our numbers on the decrease, we fear for what’s in store.
Dingoes, drought, and China ravage this great industry,
And the world’s greatest fibre could soon be history.

As the oil begins to trickle and Arabs rule the hour
Will air conditioners be switched off to save on precious power?
Cotton growers vanish as the rivers run so low,
We sheep can save the planet! So give our wool a go!

Jan Lowing 2006 ©