Passing By

The sudden disappearance,
the flames, then the evaporation
the desiccation,
the fragmentation, the spicules, the dust
scattered at sea or more likely
at an intersection in the CBD.

 

That was where he worked:
each morning a cappuccino
from the same coffee stand
packed lunch – the coffee
the one luxury
he could afford.

He loved the sea
would have owned a yacht.
He’d take a bus from Kogarah
on the weekend to watch
the fleet sailing
near Middle Head.

Stutter and dyslexia kept him
in the most menial of jobs
in a large legal corporation
no family no friends to speak of
and then a week after
we learned his dog had died

he did not come in.