Almanac Poetry: ‘Small, Soft Foot’ – Tommy Mallet

 

 

Small, Soft Foot

 

Her foot is so small, soft,
unscarred, not worn.

 

 

I admire it, looking forward to the distance
it will carry her,
places, occasions,
as we play in the rock pools.

 

 

 

The salt water,
big surf, wild winds,
give her strength, energy.

 

 

Waves crash around us
as we dance like idiots,
turning the Scooby Doo theme
into a poo song.

 

 

This simple Heaven.

 

 

Suddenly, my exhaustion, pain,
the repetition of 30 years of hard labour,
is gone,
the sweat is gone, the stress of home.

 

 

There’s the ocean, and her.

 

 

Everybody mentions how
fast
she’s growing up.
“I can’t believe it!”
“Four already!?”

 

 

When what they’re commenting on, really,
is how quickly their lives
are slipping by.

 

 

 

The only other person on either beach,
rushes up to warn us;

 

 

“A five metre swell is building!”

 

 

And:

 

 

“Two people and a dog got washed out somewhere on this coast
just last week.”

 

 

The well meaning drongo.

 

 

 

 

In close, seeing my total lack of
expression, he says;
“You’re local, aren’t you?”
and apologises.

 

 

 

He’s the only thing distracting me
from watching
any wave that rises.

 

 

 

 

I want to shout him one of the
warm bourbons
from the back of my ute,

 

 

but am not quite done squeezing
this moment of forever,
within this shit life,

 

 

with our beautiful girl.

 

 

 

 

You can read more poetry from Tommy Mallet HERE.

 

More poetry from Almanac Poetry can be read HERE

 

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