Of All the Places

Of all the places I have lived, this one is unique because it has so long been my home.  I know its secrets and stories.  Its seasons are familiar to me.  I have walked it after midnight, and before morning.

In the distance the waterfall is constantly roaring.  There is mist on the hills in the morning, and phantom flowers perfume the forest.

Strangers sometimes fear it, but the forest is a friend to me.  Oh, I fear it too, but not in a hostile way.  I miss the forest now that it is being cut back around our houses.

I have lived in three main places; Gabon, America, and Cambodia; but I would say Bongolo, Gabon is the place I know best.