Jan O’Loughlin

ficus trees stand watch
in the old asylum grounds
the lunatics have left
colonial buildings
crumbling in the summer rain

moment to moment
the changing hues of
this harbour inlet
under the matte blue
of a windswept sky

lunch break on the rocks
where wind and sea are forming
this sandstone bluff
in the image
of wind and sea

harbour cove
women in bark canoes
once fished here
now swimmers’ laughter
fills the afternoon