Plum wine and soda

Plum wine and soda
on a hot Melbourne night
caresses my stomach
with freshness and relief
Its sweetness is a treat
from the dry, stagnant heat
of the outdoors.
The long, ribbony bed of seaweed
topped with tender pink salmon
melts on your tongue
along with wasabi and soy
The gossamer fungi
white, translucent and springy
like peaches and cream
on the square clay plate.
The hot tingle from the horseradish
in my nostrils
reminds me that this restaurant
is a haven from the heat outside
As I dread to step out into it again

Brisbane to Melbourne

So high up
The water freezes
In spidery patterns
On the small window.
Flying high
Over ant-like towns and cities,
Apparently moving fast
But, the clouds meander by.
The distant horizon,
Pink and layered,
The edge of the cloudy carpet,
Luring the planes nose.
Suddenly we are engulfed
By the wispy water
Suspended by the atmosphere,
A trampoline of hydrogen and oxygen
The wings flex and bounce
Above the Australian landscape.