Eucalyptus Vapor Love

I can see the water from here. The trees, big gums, in front, look much bigger and the ocean small. It's like a mirage that the ocean isn't too far out of reach. It's the way you feel when it all seems impossible but you manage to believe in possibilities, even though it's vastly hard to do. I like gum trees. The way of a gum is all strong in the trunk and big arms and the leaves look soft blowing up near a blue sky. In all the world I love the smell of gum leaves most. The Australian sky can get real blue, all clear indigo and turquoise beauty. It's that kind of blue I haven't seen in the same way anywhere else, when it's so hot there's ripples of blurred air around plants and people. All the colours are bright with clear edges up higher so you have to look up a bit sometimes to appreciate the best parts and the leaves are like feathers from a distance when a soft wave of warm comes in. But when you go to pick up a leaf from the gum, it's strong anyway. The backbone stem is solid. The leaf is curved. The smell is Mum's hands putting Vicks on my chest when struggling with childhood asthma. The smell is associated with comfort and a little bit about wanting, but not too much, because there's a sense someone is already giving you so much anyway in that moment when it would be easy to feel too tired or selfish to care. The leaf is strong. It's green and smooth and lovely. So, when I'm in the bush, always, I'll pick one up.   Every time. You can rely on finding one too in the bush. Gum trees are great survivors. They sprout out of black like you wouldn't believe. You can have charcoal and grey and dust and nothing and then up pops a little sapling from a seed pod and so quick the climbers shoot upwards. Gumtrees usually shoot for the sky. You can understand why. My favourite styles are those with layers of multi- shade bark. As a little girl I studied trees for fun. I'm not sure that's very interesting but you can't help what you love. Why would I have done that? Trees are often so tall and little girls so small. I think that's perhaps why. There's something about sitting with your back against a tree that feels better than a chair. Did you ever meet someone who you thought would be exactly that feeling every day? That's love. It's not cutting off limbs. It's not tearing down growth. It's solid. It's beautiful.