Crisp Valleys

Louise Crisp says: she grew up in a hard country, meaning she was free to wander. I say: I grew up in a soft country meaning, I was free to wonder. The rainforest mountains sheltered me with nurturing undulation. A tanned kelpie followed my scent upstream. We ate from tropical fruit trees with abundant exoticness. Swelling rivers often left gullies full of water. The music was as consistent as the rain. Even the cicadas had a rhythmic purpose. In the creek corners, we hunted crystals. The canopy was my home and was anything but silent. With nothing but harmonies, even in the pitch-black dark, I never felt alone. How else can I explain rainforest-dwelling?

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Stevi-Lee Alver is an Australian writer and tattoo artist. She lives in the middle of Brazil with her wife. She loves bush walks and waterfalls but misses the ocean.