The Ballad of the Polo GTi
With apologies to Andrew Barton Paterson and Tom Waites
As the dawn breaks every morning,
I go to my GTi
And I set the pistons moving,
As the dawn light’s in the sky.
I skirt Sydney’s swirling traffic,
That gridlocked park on tollways grey.
I head out beyond the suburbs
To my workplace far away.
O the fools who mutely suffer
On the M5, Sydney-bound,
Have no idea the joys of travel
With no other cars around,
And I set the podcasts rolling –
Late Night Live and Rachael Cohn –
While the cruise control sits watchful
As the miles roll on and on
Till I reach the Southern Highlands,
And I wind through quiet towns,
And collect a hot skim latte
As the Eight AM News sounds.
Then I drive up to Chevalier
And I leave my trusty car
Cooling in the shade of gum trees,
While I work curricular.
In my office dim and dusty,
Lit by flickering displays,
I advise, and check compliance,
And mark students’ draft essays.
But my Polo’s waiting for me,
Pointed at the Old South Road:
Five o’clock will mark my freedom
From the grind and ceaseless goad.
Though I love my work and students,
I will leave them far behind,
Unleash the kilowatts beneath me,
Let the turbocharger whine
Through the twilight and the darkness,
While the kilometres fly
Past the windows as I drive home
In my Polo GTi.
Well done, big brother! I salute you!