Apartment blocks around here are named Avoca,

St Albans, Cranbrook; businesses called Big John’s

Grill, Sasha’s Hair, and Kevin’s Barbershop do a slow

trade. Pasha’s Indian Restaurant is closed for good,

its windows curtained in last year’s tabloids.

In a nearby side street, a hoarder’s front yard attracts

flies, pigeons and feral cats. Ancient paths are masked

by concrete, sandstone steps, and guardrails; middens

cloaked in bitumen. The view from our holiday house

is superb. We can see the curved beach, storms coming

in from every direction.

 

K A Nelson

 

© 2021