Today
the sour faces coming out of front doors
of those who must go to work

the pinched looks of those shuffling
with shopping trolleys; 
those who must buy groceries

Look at Grey Mullet
laid on ice at the fishmonger’s

Look at whole others who 
smile weakly and wave 
that magazine for the homeless/unemployed
outside where I buy stamps 

Broadest of coffee smiles 
         - another  
a flaky-rimmed pasteis de nata
         - time, thanks  

Yeah, yeah
he growls today and shakes his whole self on that concrete pavement
rousing the pigeons, in the rose bed, who then flap at the petals

and the thorns and leaves, but they are smaller and less interesting

like the work-faces folded away in drawers
or the pure bliss of 59p to buy soya milk
         for seven days of breakfast joy
a coffee smile and through a window,
a fishmonger’s whole plaice on ice

—

Preview my first volume of poems, SHINING IN BRIGHTNESS, at blurb.co.uk.
Follow my traipsing around London’s suburbs and high streets on Twitter. I tweet as @BeadedQuill.
BeadedQuill also has a Facebook page. You’ll find it here.