It is not supposed to be like this
not out in the open,
on Bridge Road, Melbourne.
A metaphor unfolds
on an absolutely normal day.
Yet there it is, a man on the other side
of Bridge Road, washing a Ferrari.
He is wearing a suit so is
being very careful and restrained
while the car is the very
definition of red, sharklike power.
Over here on my side of the road
A old guy sits in a doorway
he has a grimy face except around
his eyes, so he looks
surprised all of the time.
He has a once white little dog with him
and they watch the people going by.
I am all right with the world
so I buy them a sausage roll
and a muffin and a cup of coffee.
He says thanks and introduces the dog.
"Here is John Lennon' He says
"He was the best of them, you know"
I agree and we watch John
eating his sausage roll.
Washing man is now
talking into a phone that glints golden
at us. He is jabbing the air
with his finger and we hear
him say "You had better deliver".
We watch John a bit more
and the old guy eats and drinks.
Then John sneezes, coughs and farts.
The old man starts to laugh
and then I do and John is
barking embarrassedly.
Car wash man glances our way
gets in his car and
heads toward the city.
I say goodbye to
John Lennon and his master
and wish them luck
It is not our world
it belongs to the others.
