John Manifold The Legendary Australian Poet

Born in Toorak in Melbourne he lived for years in Camperdown
In south west Victoria an old rural town
His journeys in life took him to places far and wide
In his seventieth year in Brisbane he died

In literature his name lives as one worthy of note
John Manifold the legendary Australian poet
And as a collector of old songs his became a widely known name
One who learned about life on his journey to fame

A true to belief socialist and a communist by choice
For the Australian Communist Party his was a leading voice
For his political beliefs one who argued with reason
At a time when the Australian Government treated communism as a form of treason

Though literature in Australia has undergone change and been through many stages
His great poem The Bunyip And The whistling Kettle remains as one for the ages
Among Australia's best poems a great literary creation
He was one inspired by an amazing imagination

If anything as a literary figure he was underrated
John Manifold is one who should be celebrated
To be other than he was he never pretended
He lived by his beliefs till his life's journey ended.