Wellington almost windless
waves a deep green blue lilting lightly
reducing rowers, lightly rocking
Yellow hulls like gulls’ bills….

Red-billed gulls ‘socking it’ to
Black-billed others, despite
greater numbers, sure-footed

on the shoreline

Red-billed victors rowdy soar

Pigeon clusters meet in the marram
raiding Waitangi Park’s bounty
they huddle and mutter all aflutter

Tui atop a Norfolk pine
mocks a bird sculpture calls
to the cafe folk

Gazing out on a bridge strutted with holes
locks clipped holding mesh against waves’
myriad laps at the timbers of piles

still standing as tramping feet freely
move and scoot, slide or cycle

Above -grey clouds, below footsteps clip,
strut, pause, stop.

Overhead in those clouds a plane
is snarling lowering
lights like dragon-eyes
over Balena Bay, blinking;
cumulus fondling
the bush of the hills.

A ticket upon the water,
A Dragon in the sky

Surcease, a cafe feast soda
Pomegranate with pink straw
orange slices, a carnival
complemented by chocolate cake
hazelnuts eyeing the sky

below, surfers crest waves
falter, arms outflung…are swallowed
by the Sea
then spat out, up onto the shore

Waves ripple, finger-fumble the sand
shells tumble, cake’s eaten
birds hover agape for crumbs
from this visual feast.

Juliana Venning