SHELTER
In the cramp of the city-circle tunnel,
……….a commuter backs up against a closed door,
……….one arm crooked, hand splayed against the carriage roof,
……….hunched within his winter coat,
……….chin tucked, eyes closed.
Across the rooftops from the kitchen window,
……….homebound traffic drones to mealtime clatter,
……….and shunted out of weariness he blinks,
……….a blue heron sits folded, a figurehead
……….on the prow of a nearby roof.
Carried within the stop and start of routines is shelter,
……….awkwardly stilled.
Author’s Bio
Louise Molloy lives on the stolen lands of the Boon Wurrung people in Melbourne, Australia, writing poetry and short stories appearing in Island, Overland, Going Down Swinging, and Hecate, and online in Cordite.