Autumn in Australia
Summer’s gone and the day is done
too soon.
The rains have come, the sky is grey
and we can sleep without
the fan.
Pawpaw and passionfruit fall to the ground,
snakes and lizards disappear and everything
is damp.
I don’t feel cold, I don’t feel hot but already
I miss the shining blue, though it might be back
tomorrow.
Faces on the street are a little shocked, almost as if
this change in season doesn’t happen
each year.
The locals slowly stop swimming
until only southerners, surfers and Europeans are left
in the sea.
We find our jeans and adjust our moods
as the golden television people
celebrate spring.
