The Crux of the Cross by Ron Boughton looks from a bush campfire towards the Southern Cross, reflecting on the vastness of space and the fragility of life on Earth.
From Voyager’s distant view of our planet to the familiar strains of Waltzing Matilda, Ron turns his gaze towards conflict, Australian identity and the things he believes are worth preserving.
The Crux of the Cross
By Ron Boughton
© Ron Boughton 9/9/26
To gaze upon our Southern Cross, centre stage in a starlit sky
wherein the puzzles of time can ask, of the how and why
celestial infinity spellbindingly astounds,
to which the answers of pursuit …mystery still abounds!
The night skies West of the Great Divide, are far brighter to acclaim,
and with the flickering comfort of just the campfire flame,
the combination then compounds to spark a state of bliss!
That really says, Utopia …could not be better than this!
And somewhere, in the remoteness of that seemingly endless void
where heat and light do then become increasingly devoid,
is Voyager One on its quest, still rocketing through space
at a mind boggling ‘out of this world’ rapidness of pace!
It’s launch date Nineteen Seventy Seven, it was so long ago
but since then logging up, Twenty Five billion Ks. or so!
And when the distance to the stars is measured in ‘light years’
the brightness of the distance, can be …not what it appears!
And with an average speed of over Sixty thousand Ks. per hour
It’s hard to grasp the scale, in man’s quest of space to empower,
to think then that some stars are billions! of light years away,
that Voyager to date has travelled …only One light day!
Way back in Nineteen Ninety, when Six point Four billion Ks from home
It snapped a pic. of planet earth, -the lone one with biome-
The sobering result, from this faraway cosmic shot
in this extreme vastness was, a very faint …pale blue dot!
And on this very fragile dot, the system of our life support,
is day to day survival, against effects that contort,
by mad fanatics and despots, who do seem to impart
they won’t be satisfied until, they blow the ‘dot’ apart!
And evolution’s delicate journey to where we are today,
seems disregarded, with all priorities gone astray!
With politics of aggression the world can ill afford
and sadly some still preaching, of religion by the sword!
When all is said and done, what are the odds against us being here?
surviving, in the scale of Space, upon this tiny sphere!
With all the daily variables, mankind has to face,
to add to his own demise, is an absolute disgrace!
And here beneath the Southern Cross, on our little part of the ‘dot’,
where lucky we are able still, to give things our best shot,
though, for how long we can …we can never be too sure,
as we see division from within cast upon our shore!
And how long can we enjoy, the beauty of starlight and campfire
when innocents, like at Bondi, are murdered by gunfire!
Including young Matilda, and that never should have been,
for those in power ignored, warning signs so easily seen!
And there is nothing like a starry campfire, that can bring to mind
the tune of Waltzing Matilda, in our culture enshrined,
but sadly, that Matilda, they are slowly killing too
with the playing of politics, where smugness is the clue!
That spirit of Waltzing Matilda, should never, fade from our view,
and should live eternal as in the spirit of true blue!
And loved by all who treasure what’s bestowed in this great land,
And if they don’t they are but fleas! -one cannot understand-
Though we are but a tiny wheel, in cycles of a troubled world
It is the pride of the Southern Cross, when our flag’s unfurled
that there with our history covers, and speaks for everyone
and cuts through the madness of …radical rhetoric spun!
If only Voyager, had taken on board a virtual payload
of all the hate and evil seeds, of history that has showed,
a total lack of empathy by those devoid of soul,
and there drop it in the depths, of a Universe ‘black hole’!
But for all people, one would think, Voyager’s vision should enthrall
and thereby be the basis for a massive wake up call!
And here in Oz’ instead, of pointless arguing the toss,
there is credence of patriotism …in the Southern Cross!
Keeping The Verse Alive
The Crux of the Cross is shared through Keeping The Verse Alive, Country Campfire’s bush poetry preservation project.
By preserving poems like this, we’re helping ensure the stories, humour and characters of country Australia continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.
Ron Boughton
Bush Poet • Reciter • Retired Bricklayer • Motorcyclist
Ron Boughton is a Blue Mountains bush poet and reciter whose life has been shaped by family, more than 50 years in bricklaying and many years exploring Australia by motorcycle. He enjoys capturing the character of bush life through rhyme and metre while continuing to discover the history of country towns.
Poems, recitals, photographs, stories and original works remain the property of their original creator and are shared by Country Campfire with permission.
