The river is free
to meander as it pleases
sinking low in the sandy bed
carving out the best path
under bridges and through town
The landscape is all green
and creamed honey on burnt toast
water mirrors changing bark colours
the ever present red dust
settling, giving up, stopped
Sun struggling through the mist
as spiders find new homes
bees follow queens
snails, moss and mushrooms
Cicada nymphs rising -
all the dormant spores
coming alive
I grieve for the rivers polluted
the ancient rivers broken
rivers gone bad, courses changed
fertile plains turned to desert
waterways lost and inland seas
where only fossils remain
I feel it in my skin
the ephemeral river rising
desert aliveness and freedom
comes with birdsong and stillness
soaking it in, I walk quietly
until my heart is recoloured
rifts repairing, a moment to align
to this landscape palette 🎨
Readings
Ephemeral rivers
https://www.rivermixer.com/perennial-vs-intermittent-vs-ephemeral-differentiating-the-3-types-of-streams/
Finke river - Bad river
https://youtu.be/kFFSFxjg-TY?si=AASf_PtZ8Uu4MhCn
Lhere Mparntwe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_River
Saraswati river
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati_River
Finke river
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finke_River
Filling the Inland sea
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-01/could-lake-eyre-finally-reach-capacity-after-decades/
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