January ferry from the Island

In January
after a day trip
to an outer island
I shiver on the ferry's open deck
returning to Hong Kong

through overturned deck chairs
the mountains of the island
are cold, blue silhouettes
against red sunset

the people who crowded this boat in August
now crowd city buses
to get home before dark

in summer I sit indoors
reading of places to go

in winter I comb the beaches
getting my shoes full of sand
and my pockets lumpy
with weathered fragments

choosing to be
out of step
out in the cold.