You trace the spine of weathered hide
Where Banksia sketches rest inside
The opera sails catch final gold
While Xanthorrhoea stands so old
Your fingers know each pressed leaf's vein
A herbarium born of salt and rain
Saltwind ledger holds the tide
Root and rhythm side by side
You write in Latin patient deep
Promises the soil will keep
Saltwind ledger dusk to dawn
Harbor witness harbor drawn
The ferry cuts through indigo
Eucalyptus scent rides low
You note the phenology shift
Bud burst timing seasonal drift
Acacia longifolia blooms
Beyond the rail beyond the glooms
Saltwind ledger holds the tide
Root and rhythm side by side
You write in Latin patient deep
Promises the soil will keep
Saltwind ledger dusk to dawn
Harbor witness harbor drawn
Pages curl like frond unfurl
Salt crust crystals mother of pearl
You speak to seedlings in the crack
Taxon names bring quiet back
Angophora costata leans
Where cliff face meets the harbor scenes
Saltwind ledger holds the tide
Root and rhythm side by side
You write in Latin patient deep
Promises the soil will keep
Saltwind ledger dusk to dawn
Harbor witness harbor drawn
Night descends on Circular Quay
Data logged in fading day
Tomorrow tide will test the root
Your steady hand your patient foot
Dawn returns to Watsons Bay
New observations start the day
The notebook swells with seasons passed
A living archive built to last
You close the cover gentle firm
Life recorded term by term
Saltwind ledger holds the tide
Root and rhythm side by side
You write in Latin patient deep
Promises the soil will keep
Saltwind ledger dusk to dawn
Harbor witness harbor drawn
Salt wind turns the pages slow
Harbor breathes lets knowledge grow
