The Rise of the Black Caesar

There once was an African called Cesor
A courageous man with a beautiful visor
Who argued with Pemulwuy all night
About who had the absolute right
To hunt the giant outback monitor

Cesor landed in Australia, in 1788, as a total stranger
He was the legendary bush ranger
Who so dearly loved the Land of Oz
And remained one of us
A colonial icon with a dagger

In the First Fleet he came in chains
But made creative use of his brains;
Laying the foundation for the Emerald city
What a pity? He did not have enough time to party!
He was probably too busy guarding the fertile plains

For Cesor, the black Caesar, life in the new colony
Was anything but funny
What with all the shackled convicts?
And relentless conflicts
Desperate souls with no honey!

Yet, the fearless colonial warrior didn’t know
He would have to stoop so low
Just to make a living
In a frontier so unforgiving
A heartless land with no dough, until now

He was the greatest hero of his time
Living as he did in the age of the dime
A strong believer in the idea of nationhood
Caring for the poor just like Robin Hood
In his prime

Thus, in the fullness of time, he won his freedom;
Having fought so hard for the kingdom
He sacrificed his meager ration
To build a new station
In the idyllic town of Wyndham.


Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo