The upside-down land
By Olivia J
The upside-down land
With burnt ground and smoking rivers
Leaves red as blood and trees that put the sunset to shame.
Ruby soil that crumbles underfoot
roots stretch far underground,
snaking and racing to reach the beating,
red, dry heart of the land.
Its thick pulsing veins
snake far and wide
feeding life to all of Australia.
The gum trees stand tall as the sky.
With smooth stringy bark
and leaves shining a waxy emerald green.
No matter how clean and cool the water is
the ground it rushes over is as dry as the sand
that burns brightly on the riverbanks.
The heart beats beneath the land
and throbs life into all of Australia.