She
greets me with a quick smile
Bright
as a sparrow’s eye.
Her
taxi-driver husband
Unable
to make my pickup today
Has,
with rare kindness
Recruited
her help.
Her
name is Rosemary, her voice
Lilting
and laughing, her chequered shirt
Yellow
as sunshine.
Her
friend Joan, coffee-skinned and trendy
Wears
pragmatism and sunglasses
Like
antique pearls.
Around
one mobile wrist
Her
Pandora bracelet overflows with charms:
Statue
of Liberty, a ship
A
green glass bead
Glowing
like an idol’s eye.
They
banter, these two, with the ease
Of
old friends, comfortable
As
soft flannel pajamas
On
a cold night.
No
awkwardness, not even with strangers
Their
conversation invites, even welcomes
Drawing
me in.
Their
gift of intimacy, their benediction of kindness
Stays
with me long after the afternoon ends.
Having
received, it is now my turn
To
freely give.
No comments:
Post a Comment