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.
Copyright ©
Sarah Ann Jullion
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