Home Land

To say this is mine is a strange feeling.

As a girl, I spent countless hours in the woods of this property, harvesting my 4-H cherry tomatoes, climbing the tree house my brother built, itching the red bug bites from my tree house climbs. I enjoyed this land, although I wouldn’t say I really appreciated it as a girl. I didn’t really know what we had here on this dead end road. We didn’t have peace, but we sure did have quiet.

I never really thought about what it’s like to be a landowner, I guess because it seemed like such a far away reality. I wasn’t even sure if it was part of the dream I had for myself. That’s because I envisioned a life of freedom and travel, exploring the world beyond these walls I’d been given. Imagining the possibilities of a wandering life, oh, they were endless.

And now, to be grounded. To have security and stability so that I can have confidence and vulnerability. That is what I dream for myself. Perhaps this land represents that. It is wild in that it has lots of unkempt weeds and is only mowed twice a year to appease the neighbors. It makes its own decisions and who knows what it will become down the road. Well, because I now have a say in it, I say it will become a tiny parcel of paradise. One where that stake with the orange flag on it becomes the reminder of where we planted the Live Oak tree sapling. I hope my great-grandchildren enjoy its shade.

Gonzales, Louisiana
May 2018