Powered By Blogger

Pukapuka Books

Pages

Monday, June 28, 2010

Pukapuka Poem #38 'Torbay! Torbay! Torbay!' - Michael O'Leary

Torbay! Torbay! Torbay!

It’s around and around goes the bus
Out of sight of the sea
This suburb seems to go on and on
As we walk together to my sister’s house
Along a white concrete path

The white child of my sister
Looks at the dark woman I am with
As though she is a creature
From another island or time –
Afterwards she tells me what I know

So near to the sea, the sound
Is almost there, like inside a shell
And over the bridge inside a bus
We return to the city together
Carelessly we go to dinner or a movie

Next time I go to Torbay I am alone
The same bus, same streets
Same suburban sounds, near the sea
I am in another island or time
And I am alone, like the sound inside a shell

No comments:

Post a Comment