A KIND OF BEAUTY

For Matthew, on his 50th birthday

Grey buoys bob upon the shimmering bay,
Dark and weighty on the waves that play
With light as distant cranes fold over empty nests
While close to shore two spritely silhouettes
Of freedom flutter loose and lively ’cross
The view between trunks. Now the fairy floss
Roars out: a silver bird pitches parallel –
The riotous clapper peals an ancient bell
That echoes ’round this haven by your home
Where we ate dolmades, rode across the dome
Of Captain Cook, and dreamed of many things –
Our lives. The future. And now the season brings
Me back to breathe the brine and taste the waves,
Adrift on all the reveries the crestful sea saves.

– Rita Glennon

(Below: Dawn rises on Botany Bay, January 20, 2026, as viewed from Kogarah. Photo: Rita Glennon)