WHAT I WANT TO SAY TO YOU RICHMOND IS THIS…

I’ve been a local
A stranger
A street person
A rush hour tram stop person
I was a clerical officer
In your banks
And real estate offices
I dressed from your Op Shops
Bought trousers
At Espana menswear
Socks at Dimmeys
Ate souvs
Got pissed in all your pubs
Worked in all your
Modern buildings
Coles Coles Coles
Was my wonderland

Your Churches
Greek restaurants
River
Post Office
Chicken bar
Smelly milk bar
All night servos
Dry cleaning
Fresh bread
And second hand fridges

A swimmer
A neighbour
Mumbling
Arguing
Invisible
Fighting for a place
In a Richmond ritual

Looking out onto
The traffic
5.35 pm
At dusk

Restless waves
Of an incoming dark blue tide
Me on a stony beach
Shadows of past shapes
Stretching out behind me
as nightfalls


Malcolm Hill 1994