Relief

by Daragh Byrne 

       Gull packs, perched on surf.
Over the headland, a half-moon 
smirks cold glow on half-clad sun
worshippers — five p.m. blue sky
perquisite of work from home
orders.
                       Salt-skinned, curt
with the earth for no fixed fault;
for a moment, scuppered in my         
berth. Nature seems uncertain,
or abrupt
                              until a single
jacaranda blossom lightly lands
on sand, softens all belief,
stands
                  sings me slow relief.

Daragh Byrne is an Irish poet living in Sydney, Australia. He’s published in The Blue Nib, The Honest Ulsterman, Backstory and others. His poems were recognised as Highly Commended in the Westival Poetry Competition 2020 and the W.B. Yeats Poetry Prize for Australia 2019. He runs the Sydney Poetry Lounge.