© Ashlee Bernstone
Vast, Australian plains
Short, stubbled grass
Red earth.
This is my home.
Gazing out to the distant horizon,
I can sense the tranquility in the air.
A young wallaby cautiously bounds out from the scrub
As I venture further into its territory.
Mesmerized, I cannot take my eyes away
From the stunning silhouettes of the once-tamed brumbies,
Dancing on the horizon.
The muffled scratching of the chickens disturbs my thoughts,
As they aimlessly graze in the shade of a drooping wattle tree.
Someone's at the gate.
Our German Shepherd eagerly darts out to greet the newcomer:
A mate of my fathers,
Here for an afternoon beer.
Sitting in the old, weathered tree house,
I listen to the friendly chatter of the two friends
Telling bush yarns around the glowing campfire.
I can hear my mother's voice,
Calling contentedly from the veranda.
I take one last glance at the bright, starlit sky…
This is my home.