I sit awhile,

I sit awhile,

Drinking coffee

Outside a hole in the wall

Sheltered from the wind

Under an awning.

Takeaway cartons

Blow along the street

Kicked aside by hurried feet

Squashed flat by car wheels.

A man with bold tattoos

Across his bald head

Over his face

Down his neck,

An advert for restraint,

An illustrated man,

Reminding me of pointillism,

Art is everywhere,

Scavenges in a waste bin,

He picks out a dog end

To stuff behind his ear,

Saving it for later.

Salvages a few leftovers

From a box

Calls them his own

Before shovelling a chicken nugget

Into his mouth.

He whoops

A world-weary cry

And walks away

Lighting his cigarette

And entering nirvana.

A giant in a fur coat

Barrels out of a shop

With hands full of frozen fish

Slapping into a policeman

Waiting in line for coffee,

I didn’t see him either,

They are not as tall

As they used to be.

They both hit the deck

In a heap

The fish on the boxes leap

But there is no escape

The probationer

Has back up,

A sergeant

Who has seen it all before.

The big furry bear is in irons

Before the fish have had

Time to thaw.

There is music in my ears,

Direct from the phone

And I close my eyes

To Mahler

The second symphony.

I am resurrected,

Looking down

On the tableaux

From above.

An out-of-body experience

Early morning euphoria.

Paint me black

I will withdraw

As the day

Evolves around me

An interpretive dance

For grown-up participants

It is time to take my cue

And leave the stage.