On the Porch in Darwin By Rhubee Neale

Swaying gently on the porch, my darling kids and I,

a cool, dry breeze upon our cheeks, beneath the diamond sky.

The air is soft with mango scent, and salt upon the wind, a hum of life from all around, the day comes to its end.

The palm trees hum a lullaby, the evening softly sighs, and as the mozzies start to dance, the stars begin to rise.

A dog barks somewhere down the street, a radio plays a tune, and through the mango branches high, we see the rising moon.

The laughter of my children drifts like ripples through the air, their little hands reach out for mine, their hearts so young and fair.

We sing old songs my mother sang, in words both strong and true, songs that carry northern dreams, and skies of boundless blue.

Under that Top End sky so wide, where moonlight meets the sea, the mango scent, the warm night air are always home to me.

Each breath I take is the Country’s gift, each sigh a sacred sound, for even when I roam afar,I walk on holy ground.

A beauty born of salt and sand, where every dream’s akin to love and laughter side by side, on the porch in Darwin.

The ocean breeze upon our feet, our hearts are light and free, and in that gentle northern night, the world feels right to me.

Bats are squealing in the trees, where mango shadows sleep, and Casuarina’s golden edgelets tired waters creep.

Mindil Beach Market glows like fire, with songlines old and deep, the music flows through every soul, and dances in our sleep.

Mindil’s lights drift soft and far, where waves and voices blend, and silver moons climb silently across the sea’s blue bend.

I feel the pull of tidal dreams,a whisper through the sand, reminding me that every step is held by loving hands.

Now I’m living down in Sydney town, and Darwin feels far away, a lifetime wrapped in memory, beneath that northern star.

Tall buildings hum and traffic roars, but sometimes at night, I hear the sound of palm leaves swaying, and soft Top End moonlight.

Family and friends from long ago, your laughter lights my way—it lingers softly in my song, and warms my heart each day.

The names, the smiles, the stories shared, they travel where I roam, for Country is not just a place—it’s the heart that calls me home.

So I close my eyes once more, and I’m right back where I’ve been, with my children by my side, and the night wind whispering.

The palms still sway, the stars still spin, the Top End sings within—oh, what a beauty, what a life, on the porch in Darwin.

© Rhubee Neale — Anmatyerre and Arrernte artist and writer based in Adelaide, South Australia. Her work celebrates connection, healing, and the enduring spirit, merging fictional and factual experiences. www.desertrhubeescreation.net,desertrhubeescreation@gmail.com