Unperturbed by the late afternoon fog,
Swans glide across the placid lagoon.
A small boy hurtles after a ball,
Inadvertently kicking it forwards
Each time he reaches down to pick it up,
While his mother WhatsApps her lover
On her iPhone 17 pro.
Even the omnipresent dogs and joggers
Appear to float past as if in a dream
While turtles and frogs crave the last of the sun.
The crippling ascent of the Lyon Steps
To privileged Pacific Heights,
Via the Princess Diaries house,
Concentrates my thoughts.
As the balmy bay breeze gives way
To the chill of twilight, I rise to leave.
The peace is temporarily interrupted
By another child in a new toy car
Chasing a pair of agitated ducks
Around the perimeter of the lagoon.
He loses as darkness falls
On the Golden Gate.
Tony Quarrington 