Those of you reading my book may have guessed that, when I said in the Oct. 24 post I was leaving Queensland, I meant literarily, not physically. I’m not actually in Australia at the moment. I’m simply following the journey recounted in Waltzing Australia.
So I am leaving writing about Queensland behind for the time being, and am turning now to sharing images and supplemental trivia from the Northern Territory.
However, before I move on, I thought I’d share a poem I wrote before I went to Australia the first time. The reason it seems appropriate to share it here is because, while my reaction to Queensland may have been a revelation, my reaction to the Northern Territory verged on a rebirth. It is where I became—or perhaps I should more correctly say it is where I relearned—who I am. It was not the last lesson I would learn during my travels, but it was one of the most surprising.
The Dream: Australia
I long for her, like a man for his mail-order bride,
unseen, but loved,
unknown, and yet desired above all else.
She fills my mind, her strangeness and her space
familiar to me now,
part of a reality that only dreamers know.
Her wildness calls, insisting that I come.
She seems almost
to be an aspect of myself, another soul
that speaks to mine in wordless dialogue,
convincing me
that I will never be complete if I don’t go.©Cynthia Clampitt
Waltzing Australia 