A Fiver or a Tenner
A poem about terms for Australian money
Back in the days of pre decimal currency
a fiver was five quid, a tenner ten pounds
these days we do it in dollars
though these sayings still do the rounds.
Some called me a waltzing Matilda
crisp wispy and true blue
with an image of Edward Barton a bush poet
I’ll try to see you through.
On my other side is my doppelganger
no need to say much more
also known as a poet
by the name of own, Mary Gilmore.
We both get passed around
in transactions people make
I’ve been dropped on the ground, picked up
or even used to buy a cake.
In these days of electronics
we often hide in a purse made of leather
I was once snatched by a thief
then floated off light as a feather.
Some say that we are flighty
and only in it for the money
I change owners so quickly
and feel spent when it’s too sunny.
I’ll hang around in banks
and in tills I’m often fingered
in queues and in ranks are also spots
that me and mine have lingered.
I heard a statistician say
my movements had been counted
to average five owners per day
though the count’s often surmounted.
When sales are on I can change hands
when handled in a hurry
by eager bargain hunters
in a frenzy off I scurry.
I’ve been folded kept in bundles too
and underneath the mattress
some people hop on top of me
to share a sweet caress.
But I’ll always give good value
and if you’re in a spot
I can buy food fit to chew and
munched on whilst you undress.
I am your faithful bluey
and if you’re in a spot
a fiver will buy a little bit
a tenner quite a lot.
So never get caught short
stick me in your purse
and when it comes time to pay
you won’t holler scream or curse.
A fiver is five dollars
a tenner ten dollars old or new
enough cash to stash a sausage roll and sauce
that’s if you’re true blue (term for an Australian or Aussie)
©
David Rudder
6th September 2020
Thanks for reading.
