the coast

join-the-dot buoys
trace the shoreline,
falling & rising
with the tide;
an easy gradient
of sand tones slide
from land to sea

a kingfisher bursts
from the manuka,
leaving the greyish bush
swaying gently to rest

there are pools of red
under the pohutukawa,
eerie shadows of lost flowers

sand, salt-water & wind
have formed a dusty ring
around ankles

the tips of the cabbage tree leaves
point the way,
blown by a sea breeze.