When a ghost gum seed
Falls into a small crevice
Of a rocky slope
Where the hot afternoon sun falls
I know the tenacity of life
When a strong tree stands there
Defiant, glorious, stolid
Falls into a small crevice
Of a rocky slope
Where the hot afternoon sun falls
I know the tenacity of life
When a strong tree stands there
Defiant, glorious, stolid
And then I reflect
This is the ghost gum’s home
For the tree, this world is not harsh
Its life is not an act of defiance
But, in a sense, an act of love
Of adaptation
Of acceptance
In this
I find the true beauty of nature
And from this
I learn to see my own beauty
And the perfection of my circumstances
Ghost Gum
King’s Canyon
Watarrka National Park
Northern Territory, Australia
King’s Canyon
Watarrka National Park
Northern Territory, Australia
Taken during travels, 1994