Liam Barr

The black cockatoos aren't around anymore.
The trees here are different.

Before I left I wanted one to see me off.
A goodbye before the next chapter.

Instead they keep turning up here.
On a sign by the road.
In the corner of an advert.

They couldn't make the move the way I did.
So they come as whatever this place has.
Paint and print instead of feathers.

I'd know them anywhere.

Not in the trees.
Still showing up to say hi.

Someone asks if you're available.
You do the maths.
A two hour task, that's doable.

Then the weeks go by.
Those two hours never find space in your calendar.
Something always takes priority.

Your maths was never wrong.
It measured the work and stopped there.
The missing number was the week it had to fit inside.

The yes took seconds.
The task is still taking weeks.

I walked out tonight already glad.
The next chapter has started and it feels right.

I wasn't looking for a sign.
My mind was made up.

Then I looked up.
A thin crescent tipped over on its back.
The whole thing shaped like a smile.

It told me nothing I didn't know.

It agreed.

The moon is only a few days into this phase.
So am I.