Frankston Line

Short, bald, patient man answers his phone

‘Hi Mum’

and something about a parcel that hasn’t arrived,

and his brother gets on the line.

The man on the phone keeps using his name.

‘How are you, George?’

‘How’s Mildura, George?’

‘Take good care now.

Are you taking care,

George?’

Mordiallic Lapidary Club, beginners welcome

Across the aisle is a man in a light grey suit

too short at the cuffs

too high at the ankles,

showing smooth black wrists

brown beige camel argyle socks

Cal bungs, pine trees

Blackberry, Android, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone

Kindle, iPad, Time magazine.

A man stands for a woman close to tears

grey hair scraped back,

she clutches her carkeys, digs inside her embroidered bag,

dials, loses the signal and dials and dials again.

Every time he answers,

the phone cuts out.

‘Thank God, someone gave me a seat,’

she says finally

into the phone.

‘But I’ll be all right.’

Edithvale Hairven Cloverleaf Lumen Lights Olympic Blinds

Three boys, skateboards

two gorgeous, one funny.

Has Celeste got a boyfriend

yep but he’s young, year nine or ten

eleven next year

I saw him at the station at midnight.

Bonbeach

Bottlemart

Seaford

vee-dub

summer dress

blunt fringe

black leggings

jelly shoes

Nissan Jeep Europcar

Carwash

Ultratune

Mitsubishi Kia

Goodyear

Brakes Plus

The ugly one picks up his phone.

‘I’m adding him back into the conversation.’