I was meant to catch some live music in the late afternoon, but ended up captured by lethargy, unable to move from my seat in the office. But that’s ok. There’ll be other times. I hopped off the bus a few stops early, and walked and took photos until it was too dark. I’m hoping to find beauty in the normal, in the everyday things, somewhere amongst the chaos. »
I’m watching the evening traffic come up Punt Road, waiting for a bus. Relaxed kid in sportscar laughs and points at other cars, his girl smiles and sinks into their seat. Just behind them a middle-aged guy looks stressed, mobile phone nestled awkwardly between ear and shoulder, trying to negotiate the lanes as he talks. I’m pondering how my life would’ve turned out if I’d learnt to drive. These days, a myriad of worries prevents me from doing so. »
Walking around the large book/cd shops and up comes one of those long, drawling Mazzy Star tracks. The kind you can loosely hum along to while you browse the racks of CDs for nothing in particular, hoping something will just kind of reveal itself amongst the mess. »
I’m nearly home now, passing the baptist church as I come down the hill. In the carpark, a kid kicks an annoyingly loud plastic ball against the church wall. Another kid comes out from the house next door, saying “daniel, my dad says you have to go home now.” “Why?” But I’m gone before I hear why, and perhaps it’s just as well. »
Fifty metres from the railway crossing and I can smell cloves in the early evening. A few minutes later, around the corner andacross the street, a band warms up in the Cornish Arms. This is the inner city I came for, the one that I want. »