10 September 2019

Brijuni
On this strange island in the Adriatic where
Tito spent his 6-month summers and kept
exotic animals, something old feels most
real. The Roman mosaic in a small church has
​more substance even than the lone elephant. 
A baby zebra shares a field with Shetland ponies
gift of Queen Elizabeth when she visited
the Yugoslav leader. A taxidermist had a field day
here, results of their work displayed in the museum
​empty concrete cages left in the shimmering sun.
Nobody lives on the island, but you can
stay in one of the hotels on the waterfront, play
golf in the grassy clearing, swing your feet
in the clear sea with blue stripey fish.