one page: brisbane

some things you should know
cindy keong
Dad hasn’t parted with the old washing
machine. He proudly claims it’s the first
automatic. There’s nothing automatic about it now.
So unless you’re packing enough clothes for the entire trip
the gumboots and broom handle beside the tub
must be used to avoid electrocution.
Make sure you visit the Bobby Dazzler
there’s a 20ft statue of a fossicker crouching out front.
It’s worth the five dollars just to wander the underground
tunnels and escape the blistering heat. I hope you like early
mornings. The bottlebrush is in bloom and the lorikeets flock in
around 5 am for their all day bender. If this doesn’t wake you, Dad will.
Do you remember when we were kids
From our beds we would listen
to the blueprint of morning
heavy footsteps making a cup
of tea, the scuff of brush and polish
on boot leather, the heady waft of his first cigarette.
It’s still the same, still in order.
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