Extract from 'Wetland' in Readings and Writings

1. West

The ephemeral wetland has been constructed in the floor of the retarding basin. Shallow depressions carry water after rainfall but are not permanent water bodies, the cycle of wetting and drying being important for the ecological function of the wetland. The system is made up of a gross pollutant pond into which stormwater enters from surrounding streets. This first pool will always have water – black, oily, clogged.

She sits at the kitchen table crocheting a blue tea-cosy and smoking a cigarette, listening to Leonard Cohen. It is a cold, damp, autumnal morning, just before seven. The heater is broken so she is wearing her big winter coat – the bluey. It makes her movements stiff, exaggerated. She has eaten porridge, drunk tea, and when the clock strikes the hour it is her cue to rise. The aging sausage dog comes lolloping to her side. She pockets a plastic bag for his shit, her tobacco, and hangs a key on a length of string around her neck, a green beanie pulled low over her head.
She hums, Come over the window, my little darling, I’d like to try to read your palm.