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Chloe Hannan
‘small arrivals’
.
small arrivals i’ll tell you about it, you know
on slow days, as we walk the dog
the bugs that dance dizzy in the sunlight,
the minor bird pecking through earth
the branches blistered with rain
i’ll point out how the bench sits
at the top of the hill, steadfast and polite
and make up stories of the cars driving behind us
one picking up a niece, the next just fired,
another too deep in love to focus on the road
the pavement smeared with white bird poo
the moss peeking out of its cracks,
sewer grates and loose gravel
abandoned snail shells and small gum nuts
i’ll remind you where you walk
things i can’t even name, i’ll describe them
here’s a soft, flaky acorn shaped like a peanut
feel it, rough to touch but fragile, stripping its feathers,
over there’s a spiky ball on the ground, a tree full of them
falling spiky balls, you’d laugh
i wish i could see that
the car in front of us has at least fifty air fresheners
hanging from its rear-view mirror
schoolkids trudge past under backpacks
nurses limber in scrubs
some people i can’t guess where they’re going
maybe they are busy, like me, plucking out
quiet secrets of the world, its small arrivals
across the road yellow flowers burst in clumps
rabbits quiver in a hutch in that yard
bread crusts litter the nature strip—
hang on daisy is trying to eat them—
here’s my favourite house
a smaller—wait she found another crust—
a white house, the outside rough like cottage cheese
blue awning tucked under a red roof
sun hits it perfectly from behind
the garden seems like it’s singing
listen to its ghosts
i’ll spend a whole evening detailing a single tree
the smooth bark peeling
the craggled pores of its trunk
lay your hand over it, touch
the parts darkened with age, the ones
bright with lowering sunlight
i’ll lead you to the pond where
two ducks follow each other around
i wish you could see how the water
ripples and puckers, how the trees frame it
how daisy looks back at us, to make sure
we are keeping up
i will not leave anything out, i promise.
Chloe Hannan is a writer, reader, and perpetual seeker of beauty in the mundane. Her poem is a reminder of the wonder that can be found in the simplest moments; something even more meaningful when shared with a loved one.
Chloe is featured in our issue 01 print . Get your copy here!