Bindi
Of The Underpass
A
work of poetry by nondeplume Sam Calder
ref:
September 98 Heroinsight
Foreward:
This is a true story about a girl from Canberra who
died of a heroin overdose in 1995. This poem was inspired
by an article in The Canberra Times (early March,
I forget the date) and is accurate to the article
at least. The fact that she had the same surname as
me and was only two days older really made me sit
down and think. Apologies to Bindi's family and friends,
and A B `Banjo' Paterson for the desecration of Man
From Snowy River.
There
was movement down at Burnie Courts, the words had
passed around
That the girl called `Bindi C' had passed away
And had joined the other users)she's now six feet
underground)
So all the crack and speed was hid away.
All the tried and noted junkies from the storm drains
near and far
Had gathered at `The Courts' some days before,
For the junkies love hard drugging where the cheapest
dealers are
And the addicts snort the coke from off the floor.
There's Harrison, who bought the farm one night while
`shooting up';
Some old man with his hair as white as snow,
Yes, he went too)t'was late one night)his blood pressure
went up,
He used to say `Go on mate, have a go'.
Then Bindi of the Underpass came down to lay a hand
On something that would really warp her brain.
That batch of heroin she bought should really have
been canned,
At least she won't be doing drugs again.
She stayed out all night raving hard, although her
dad had known,
She just kept telling him `Get off my back'.
Bindi was just sixteen' now she's never coming home,
She took a detour walking down life's track.
And near the end her body could just scarcely draw
a breath
But the hit so strong just took the pain away,
Her thoughts became a blur and then she saw the face
of death,
And she's no longer with her friends today.
And down by Woden Plaza, where the parking meters
raise
Their funds to help the politicians rort,
Where the gutters are gratified and the street light
fairly blaze,
To youth a vicious lesson has been taught.
And where around the underpass that Bindi's body lay,
The wind has blown the chalk line far and wide.
The graffiti tells a story that will never go away:
Bindi Calder
That fateful night that Bindi Calder died.29
April 1978 to 3 March 1995
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