A Cold wind blows down Collins Street

A pale sun struggles through the cloud

Business executives, smartly dressed, stride past,

Mobile phones firmly clamped to ears.

 

A roller-skater, middle-aged, speeds on the tram lines

Youthful skateboarders weave in and out the crowd.

Men with earrings, nose rings.

Girls with studs in noses, ears and lips.

 

In Fitzroy gardens, spring flowers burst forth

In hues resplendent. Young mothers promenade,

Wheeling babes in prams. And on a bench

A homeless vagrant wakes and yawns

And blinks against another aimless day.

 

Across the river, monuments to Mammon;

Boat houses, rowing crews at work.

On muddy waters glide the pleasure craft

Transporting tourists, eager for diversion.

 

Victoria Markets, crammed with every need.

Lunchtime joggers, sweating with the strain.

Flower sellers, buskers, beggars,

All craving now for summer’s warmth again.