'Pictures Of Melbourne' © by Ayr 1996
All Rights Reserved
Page by Jilli
PICTURES OF MELBOURNE
BY: Anthony Ortado aka Ayr
I have an old black and white photo of a park bench overlooking
the Yarra River in Melbourne. The skyline pushes through the
early morning mist above the river and waits for the observer to
make a comment like;
“Hey, when did you go to New York?”.
“About 5 years ago”, I would most likely reply. Then I realize
why they would have asked. “It’s actually Melbourne!”
“Really! Melbourne?”
“Yeah, it’s the Yarra. I got it from the St Kilda markets, some
photographer was selling his stuff out of a stall. Pretty good too!
I bought two of them, my friend bought one also”. Then I would start
to think about you, while I carefully arrange the knives on the table.
“How did you find Melbourne? I didn’t like it at all!”. A question
and an answer in one. I hate those!
“I loved it, nearly picked myself up and moved down there, might
still do it one day?” As long as you haven’t gone down there. But
then, I’ve bumped into long lost lovers further away from home and
in larger cities than Melbourne...
“What on earth for??”. Few people ever understand, even the ones
that have been through it a dozen times.
“Because it’s not Sydney!”. I pull another knife out of the drawer.
There’s a bit of a silence, then the inevitable, “You can’t keep
running away every time you break up with someone you know!”
At last, they get it!
“It’s not about that!”. I’ve become a much better liar since you.
“I just love the ambience of the place”. I pronounce the word as
‘Umby-ons’. It seems to shut people up if I do that.
More silence. I’ve finished setting the table now. I don’t like to
see anyone looking at that picture so I don’t turn yet. Sometimes
I wonder why I still keep it up on the wall.
I can hear them moving across the lounge room, so I will turn around.
“What about this one? Is this New York?”
“No, that’s Melbourne”. I’m getting tired now, I really have to get some new pictures up!
© Anthony Ortado 1996
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