Reflecting takayna
Catapulted back to society
As if immersion in the remote vast takayna wilderness was a dream
Time stood still
Dreams of ancients
Of dunes as big as rolling hills
Spacious, sand printing sifting sinking
Grains of sand blown against patches of bare skin
Bare feet and worn boots imprint the earth below
Sand falls between fingers smooth between toes
Sun reaches exposed skin
Kilometres ahead
Kilometres behind
Space
Collision of rock earth wind water fire
Sculpted elementals
Abstractions
Living spaces of takayna people once inhabited
Middens…intact largely untouched
Until colonial arrivals
Evidence of modern day recreationists disregard cultural significance
Driving over culture in big wheel vehicles
Driving over the past
Abundance of shellfish sustenance remains
Coastal livelihood once sustained
Until colonial arrivals
Wind carries stories
Whispers reminders
Each day each moment there is only here and now
No thoughts of work lists shopping alarms or pandemic
Nowhere to be except the present moment
Planning days of reaching creeks and tidal river crossings
Summer dwindles rivers to creeks to salty stream trickles
Sipping to taste
Continue on, try the next creek
One foot in front of other
13, 13, 16, 21, 13, 5 kilometre day walking
Pushing through pain
Weary body heavy feet and pack
Step step step
Gratitude each time he helps to lift pack onto my back
Bearing heavy life sustaining water
Pausing with gratitude to savour breaks and moments
Shadow of shade behind rock
Large brim hat provides shade under exposed dune sun
Tarp shields wind
Bivvy cocoons
Merging within landscape
Body lets go
Releases back to the earth
Blood drops connecting to not barren
Body mind soul sinks into deep restful sleep at each day’s end
All sustaining
Eagles gulls beetles devils wallabies abundance of birds
wombats
Tracks everywhere scattered
Home to no present day humans
Home to all life
Yet home is here now
Days of just us
Approaching human marks on landscape edging closer to shacks
Witnessing now those who drive over sacred land
Mad Max vehicles motorbikes big wheel trucks
Weaving by foot along side by side to tire mark imprints in sand
But we, we tread lightly
We, only ones on foot
This remote wild landscape
She changes thoughts changes perspectives
She brings forth contemplation
Passing shadows of sorrow and grief with breaths of expansiveness
She is alive
Constantly changing, adapting
Wild raw rugged powerful beauty
Swirling among sand
Resilient
Surviving
She must be protected
She is takayna
