he reads the welcome of swans

the ferryman knows his own life

is rich with incident

his paper boat, creased and folded

and he at the helm

cockeyed from staring at lovers

their haul of picnic baskets

his own palms worn thin

with the exchange of coins

his oar all dip and pull, the sweet

drag of water and always

returning, the bare-footed ones

who miss nothing

who no longer expect

the arrival of others

the ferryman rubs his eyes

a penny for each of them 

the swan unfolds 

the huge breathing of water

Frankie McMillan

Frankie McMillan is the author of The Bag Lady’s Picnic and other stories, and a poetry collection, Dressing for the Cannibals. In 2005 she was awarded the Creative NZ Todd Bursary. In 2008 and 2009 her work was selected for the Best NZ Fiction anthologies. Other awards include winner of the New Zealand Poetry Society International Competition (2009) and the NZ National Flash Fiction award (2013). This year she is a co-recipient of the Ursula Bethell writing residency at Canterbury University. Her next book of poetry, There Are No Horses in Heaven, is to be published by CUP in early 2015.