Colony

ninety-six trekked across Australia
accompanied by ghosts of their past failures
across the wastes, now heat, now floods
the hostile land their prison
as much as their thoughts
no rider spurred his horse harder
than they drove themselves 
at this deadly labour
nineteen emerged from the uncharted land
blood scourged by the journey
a new breed of men

c. 2/12/09, B. Riley