Our little trip
On a grey Melbourne day we set off for the sanctuary
Built by William Ricketts earlier this century
Gilbert, Owen and Dijana to name just a few
Yvonne, Rebecca and Geoff came along too
We packed all the food into tight little bags
Stopping from time to time to light up some ****
Soon we were climbing up Mount Dandenong
The air was so fresh. The birds were in song
Our lunch was eaten in the carpark at noon
Someone it seems had forgotten the spoon
This oversight did not cause an unruly scene
Which would have spoiled a place so serene
We paid our money and went in through a gate
Rebecca rushed around like a white rabbit who's late
The rest of us strolled slowly along every path
Looking in wonder at brother William's art
The statues all grow out of the very rock
At first this comes as a bit of a shock
Soon you relax and feel quite at ease
This place has an aura that surely does please
A poem about Owen started to brew in my head
Based on a few of the things that he said
I never knew he was as warped as us too
Suddenly I saw him as one of our crew
Most of the figures have a calm, relaxed pose
Untroubled about wearing very few clothes
Hands, feet and bodies all remarkably real
I suspect our presence is something they can feel
Some of the grottos have archways I'll mention
That appear to be portals to another dimension
This idea may sound a bit strange to you
At the time we felt it could surely be true
As a group we continued but stopped now and then
To inspect some more figures of possums and men
The eyes in their heads have that far-away gaze
Dijana knows just what I mean by that phrase
They seem to be more than mere stone and wood
You'd swear they can hear you and tell if you're good
We took a few photos to prove we were there
But I'll never forget those eyes that just stare
They stare into a distant time and another place
When everyone had that serene look on their face
A look that speaks of such pure, inner peace
William seems to have captured it with ease
They look not at you or through you but past you
Back to a time when the world was quite new
With none of our modern stress and commotion
When walking around was the commonest motion
I felt my mind wandering back to that dreamtime
Where everything had its own reason and rhyme
William Ricketts must have been so connected
To all of the creatures that he so respected
This really is a place you should see
You may not view it quite the same as me
In time we all walked back to the car
We drove to the lookout which was not too far
We parked for a while without having to pay
Grateful to Dijana for her own special way
She has a delightful talent for being vague
Which she quite often turns to good advantage
In the mist, the city seemed a distant mirage
A ghostly illusion with nobody in charge
It started to rain but I didn't mind one bit
We found a nice spot to chat and to sit
The conversation took its usual course
As if we were part of some great unseen force
We laughed and we quite lost track of time
I felt we were part of a nursery rhyme
On the drive back the lively discussion went on
We talked about the nature of time and reincarnation
Aliens, Easter Island, Jules Verne, and personality
I felt everyone was on the same wavelength as me
Driving on past galleries, tea houses and little shops
This is usually the stage where our energy drops
But as a group we stayed wide awake
As Owen decided which road to take
Reading William's poems from the book that we bought
We realised he was a man apart from the usual sort
The foundation of his life was a very old recipe
Love every creature was his simple philosophy
We could all learn something from this eccentric
Who made his home out of wood rather than brick
He shared his days with the animals and trees
He never married which explains his pure peace
William Ricketts died in Nineteen Ninety Three
I'm sure his spirit still dwells in this vicinity
Try to come along to visit his fine works
Like most artists he sure had a few quirks
His video is available at the park's front office
It may be well worth your while to purchase
To see what he looked like when he was around
You'll find his voice has a transcendent sound
Too soon we were back in civilisation
All were left with the same realisation
We'd all been time travelers just for one day
All of us need a sanctuary for our spirits to play
Some photos of the Sanctuary -
William Ricketts Sanctuary | The Grapevine
