There’s a pram by the river.
…  .A white-haired man in a navy parka
steps from the crouching wattle,
…  .tosses in a line. Moorhens scuff
their feet along the meniscus,
…  .a coterie of rowboats nudge
against each other. The river blinds
…  .like a shattered bottle,
the old man leans into the pram.
…  .Moorhens paddle their reflections,
a bell rubs the edge of his line.
…  .It’s a very quiet baby.

Susan Fealy

 

Susan Fealy is a Melbourne-based poet, reviewer and clinical psychologist. Her poetry has been published widely in Australian journals and anthologies and some have also appeared in the United States, India and Sweden. Her first collection, Flute of Milk (UWAP), won the 2017 Wesley Michel Wright Prize.

© 2017