The Dry

from Deep Leads by The Orbweavers

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Subjects: agriculture, drought, soil types, irrigation schemes, introduced species, loss

My grandmother had two camellia shrubs and a magnolia tree in her dry farm garden in central Victoria. She loved them. These introduced ornamentals needed more water than the wattles and bottlebrushes, and their survival through summer was a recurring source of anxiety each year, as we lugged heavy hoses across the yard, drawing on precious dam water reserves. My Gran’s water anxiety about the ornamentals masked a much deeper and unspoken worry about the farm’s survival through increasingly dry seasons. Ironically, the farm is situated adjacent to a natural swamp filled with river red gums, which are at least a few hundred years old. The swamp stopped flooding regularly after water was redirected for agricultural irrigation during the late 19th century and again in the mid 20th century. As a result, the existing wetlands system changed. I don’t know if the magnolia or camellias are still alive.

lyrics

It will be dry
For a long, long time.
For a long,
Long,
Time.
I’ve let things die -
I’ve watched them die,
Wondering if we will survive.

Cracks all around,
In the walls,
In the ground;
Lightning without sound.
I stretch my hand
Across the widening spans,
And wonder where you are?

We once grew well,
When the rains fell.

Camellia, magnolia, ornamental
(I’m so sentimental).
Ravens wheeling overhead
As my own hands tremble,
River Red Gums remember -

How we once grew well,
When the rains fell

credits

from Deep Leads, released September 17, 2017

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The Orbweavers Melbourne, Australia

The Orbweavers are Marita Dyson & Stuart Flanagan, multidisciplinary artists working in song, performance and visual art. Their work responds to history, memory and place. They are interested in local waterways, industrial history and environmental change.

They have written and recorded 3 albums, co-produced by their greyhound companions, Fern (RIP 2018) & Susie, released through Mistletone. ... more

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