Life on the Land

One Man's Web > Where I Live > Life on the Land


It's not so bad.  Christ! It would be bad in winter, but it's not so bad now.  If you get off the train just after dark no one can see you.  There's no one here anyway... and I walk down the platform and along the track like I was taking a short cut to the corner.  I just go along the line a bit past the lights and walk out across the shunting lines. It's safe, you know? There's only the wetlands over there so no one ever comes through here.  There's a flat patch on those big old dirt heaps. I can sleep up there and see anyone coming. The grass hides you, see, and they'd show up in the lights from the station. I chose it really carefully. I haven't had to sleep in the parklands since then. Shit! They're scary- full of weirdos and fuckheads.  I thought it would be nice during the day... the botanic gardens are OK but the south parklands are a pervert's paradise.  I started out having a wash in those toilets down from the weir on the Torrens, but you can't really keep clean.  The derros can pick you in no time. There's an old guy got a garage in Prospect and I asked him one day if I could use his toilet... I just used to walk for miles... and he asked me if I was living off the land.  Pretty obvious with the swag, I suppose.  He lets me have a shower there and leave my swag, so I can keep clean now.  There's a Laundromat up the street too. Then I go into the library there an read the papers.  I get fruit from the stalls in the mall, and at the market when it's open.  The sickness benefit has got enough money because I'm not paying board, and I buy a yiros or a hamburger... a real one with lots of vegies... every couple of days.  I've still got some money from before I got sick, so it's OK.  They want me to go on the dole but I'm not ready yet... you have to apply for jobs and not good... I can't handle people for very long.  Maybe I could work in the gardens or something but I hope they leave me on the sickness because it takes me too long to do anything still. 

I'm not healthy really.  The really bad sickness is finished but I only look good on the outside... I have to stay away from people.  I like going into Border's and looking at the books but if someone asks me if I want some help I have to leave.  The art gallery's better because no one bothers you in there but I get miserable if I stay in there too long so I just walk.  If you keep walking it sort of stops the pain.  I don't know why... you think about the same things but the walking  sort of keeps you ahead.  If I stop it gets me down, unless I can sleep.  They gave me these tablets that made me sick for a week... I was too dizzy to walk nearly but now I feel heaps better.  It's like the real bad sick has gone, but I kind of don't know how to get started again.  I've started feeling like I wish I had a bed and a place that was mine.  The doctor said that was good, but I don't know.  When I was really bad I'd sit for hours because I couldn't move and it feels like that.  The girl at the DSS said they could find me somewhere but I want to know if it's safe first.  I have to find something for the winter though... it'll be too muddy here... but I'm scared