Seattle Streets

The traffic light delayed us both Me driving my car She driving her cart. The traffic direction changed, rotated, making black eyes spark annoyed as her walk signal failed to appear, shrunken mouth twisting crooked ‘neath her frowned brow as roughly she retreated, Bang-bang banging her fist against the shiny metal round, push-to-cross-pedestrian-knob. Then glancing up relief cleared her angry face... The green walk-stick-figure beckoning her across from the street light across. Adeptly her cart she wheeled ‘round worked down the sidewalk dip Then scurry did she quick-careful between the safety of yellow crossing lines. Unabashed, I watched as her crooked shape veered down the opposite sidewalk hugging the closed wall of shops hurrying hurrying to where oh where cloaked all in black nearly invisible amongst the street dusk shadows. Black colored her, from escaping hair, to scarf, long skirt, scuffed dark shoes, many layered black socks. a so-slight woman, mostly skin and bones, scarfed head bent, right-angled downward peering tanned skin stretched thin ‘cross facial bones protruding, cheeks sunken, filling space of now-gone teeth, the rooster wattle skin beneath her chin to yell the tell of years passing past. Pushing resolutely her world bungie-corded to storage on wheels a layered life stacked high ancient black suitcase on the bottom, twine-tied brown box layered next, bulging black-shiny plastic bag top-crowning, all securely strapped… Simple baggage that never never would be checked at the gate.