CROSSING BROKEN BAY

While getting a cavity filled in a dentist’s chair in Los Angeles
I close my eyes and visualise the boat trip from Little Lovett Bay to Church Point
Untying from the long timber jetty and donning a sun-faded life vest
Lowering the two-stroke engine and turning the key
Glancing over at gum trees along the shore, dotted with white sulphur-crested cockatoos
The brief floating moment mid-journey when the tinny planes atop the water
The deceleration as the Pink Water Taxi’s floating office appears to my right
A customary wave at a fellow pilot as our vessels pass
Slipping the boat into reverse to slow into a park at the commuter wharf
Just as the sound of drilling stops.