January 1, 2016Missive

Postcard from the edge.

lossnaturecitymusicmemorytime

Postcard from the edge.

The rain fell again today

The car park was a lake

For which I was unprepared

Just a white cotton shirt

And an old umbrella

That never works.

But it was just water

And nothing happened.

The market was busy

And the people were steaming

With more than the heat.

Prices were rising

I know,

That seems crazy

The reasons are hazy

When they were supposed to fall.

What happened to cut throat

Competition

And negative inflation.

Has all the air gone out

Of that particular bubble

Is China’s failing economy

Causing all this trouble.

But it will blow over soon

At least that’s what they say.

And nothing really happened.

My wife said I need to shave,

My skin was not designed

For too much stubble.

She calls me a prickle basket

If truth be told, I like it.

It is affectionate,

A term of endearment,

And it makes us both laugh.

Several bits and pieces

But they were not

Really needed

And there’s always tomorrow,

It seems to follow.

So I sat in the cafe for a while

Read the paper with hardly a smile

Nothing much in the news to please

So I ordered a toasty

Filled with cheddar cheese,

And the coffee was good.

It compensated for the

Chill I felt in my bones

When I saw the ghost

Of a past

I barely missed,

In the clenched fist

Of a screaming child,

Demanding more

Than was on offer.

The mother looked tired

And a little wired.

The infant had eyes

That had seen too much,

And she slapped him.

Not the softest of touch,

It shocked me

And bruised more than his ego.

But he shut up.

I tutted and shook my head

Both his and her

Cheeks turned cherry red,

But nothing happened.

As I already said,

The sun had the day off

Clouds tried to fill the hole

But it took too much of a toll.

And they all cried with the effort

To lighten up.

The more they tried

The heavier they got

And it was very wet.

The likelihood is

It will get wetter yet

But not enough to stop me

From getting to where

I want to be.

And in the end

Nothing really happened.