In amongst the city throng
I’m always drawn to the quirky
The misfits
The not quite like everyone else
The sandals and socks
Pink and red
Checks and stripes
Moth eaten jumper on a steamy day.
The aged dreadlocks
Brittle toenails
Missing teeth
Tar-stained fingers
Hunched and weathered
Downcast and downtrodden
Struggle street smirks
Hand out in anticipation.
The trolley of life’s possessions
Neat corner signalling home
Stained mattress
Bed carefully made
Singles, couples
Trancelike gaze
Beyond the realm
Heaviness in the silence.
The hope in a call
Stories etched in ragged lines
Eyes meet
Anticipation of a sale
Cash and tech on offer
Trust of a stranger
An intimate yarn
A moment of humanity.
By contrast though
The busyness of passes by
Ignorant of the other
Onward on some foolish fest
The glitter, the glam
The brand
Hidden scars
Avoidance in capitalist form.
The side by side
Yet worlds apart
Mere apparitions
Of the other
Fear both sides
A stalemate resides.
Leigh Donovan, 10 December 2023, Sydney CBD
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