It is winter in Queensland
It is winter in Queensland
But there are no vendors selling chestnuts
Roasting on open braziers on street corners
An aroma of hickory, onions and burgers
The air, sharply cutting with the precision
Of a razor blade
It flops down here, like a doughy burrito
Full of avocado, coleslaw
And free-range chicken
The chill is thin and reedy
Overlaid with the dry smell of outdoor heaters
Cocking a snook at the environmentalists
Who talk to each other on expensive phones
Full of rare earth metals
Before driving to events
Across the country, in old boneshakers
Disappearing in a cloud of blue smoke
After a refuelling stop
At a vegan bistro
The weather wraps itself around outdoor diners
Wearing lightweight fleeces
And cargo pants
Shoes are rarely worn out of work
An escape from convention
That has become a custom
Whatever happened to verrucas?
My mother was always worried about the changing rooms
In swimming pools
It is cold for the homeless even here
The heat going out of the day with no cloud cover
To hold it in
This is no world in which to be homeless
As the vibe of the well-heeled
Ensures that people in need are pushed
To the periphery by the wake of a gin palace
Steaming down the middle of the road
Parking up in front of a mansion
Built to last a year or two
Left to their own devices
The floaters will drown
But nobody cares about that
As the flambe’ lights up the faces of diners
Listening to a Spotify playlist
Of cool coffee table jazz
Nothing too demanding as it spoils the ambient
Atmosphere of a busy Marina
But it is winter without the wonder
Of Christmas to heighten the feeling of splendour
The Southern hemisphere
Was at the back of the queue
When it came to marketing holidays
Now they have it all to do
To catch-up
A July Christmas has its enthusiasts
Sad though it might be
Sparkling fairy lights do look cool
Against a night sky wherever you are
But a horse race that stops the country
Is a stretch
Of the imagination
Even for the optimists who still wear a singlet
In wet weather
Betting the wind will change, the sun will shine
And everything will take a turn for the better
Which it usually does
After a brekkie of smashed avo and poached eggs
On Sourdough
With a side of crispy bacon
And a medium flat-white to wash it down.