Ah Fook Poem by keith brown

In 1869, beside
the Morses brook
trudged a weary looking chinaman
A man they called Ah Fook

Now please don't be offended
Or turn and walk away
And I'l relate to you the story
Of what happened on at day

Young Ah was hot and thirsty
As the Kelly'splace passed by
He'd stop and ask for water
Or at least give it a try


He strode up to the porch
Where sat the Kelly's daughter
A simple enough request
on hot day to " ask for water"

The young girl dipped in a bucket
A cup made of old ochre clay
Intending to slack the Chinaman's thirst
And then send him on his way

But the water, sour and bitter
Came from the Kelly creek
And had been sitting in that bucket
For nigh on half a week

Young Ah was taken to anger
as the water ran through his veins
For he wanted the pure clear liquid
You only get from rains

His anger grew worse as he tasted the
Mud, water and grit
and how harshly he did berate
The young girl where she did sit

Young Ned had heard the commotion
So came to his sisters aid
And without question or answer
into the chinaman violently laid

YoungAh ran of through the bush
Didn't stop till he reached town
Straight to Sargent Whelan
His story to put down

The Sargentduly noted
The plight and the chinaman's state
He'd ride out too the Kelly's
Then advise the magistrate

On the day of the trial,
Ned had rallied all of his mates,
Their evidence to give
Our Ned had barely touched him
That's the truth! as long as we live

In truth Ah Fook was the aggressor
He'd beaten our Ned with a stick
The evidence was conflicting
and the trial was very quick

The magistrate frowned,
looked down at the-evidence list
his only course of action
was to have the case dismissed

Now a 15 year old Ned Kelly
of the law held no fear's
And he taunted and ran them ragged
For the next eleven years

Till he met his match at Glenrowen
Down on the Victorian side
Where in a hail of thunder and bullet's
both bushrangers and constables died

Ned was sentenced too hang
Too pay for his murderess acts,
but he's still our favoured bush ranger
We don't care too much for the facts!

They say as he walked too the gallows
Along the dead mans walk
Thats when Ned was heard to mumble his famous
Last words talk

Did he say" such is life "
Was this his epitaph
Or stand on the gallows head held high
and leave us with a laugh

Ha!

Maybe as he stood
He raised an angry fist
And uttered his last dying words
"Ah Fook! "

"I suppose it had to come to this"


Kb