Through the glass

Hello!

I'm joining in with The Prompt for my poem today, using the theme of 'glass'. I wrote this over coffee at Costa in Largs, watching the world go by and pondering over how many people watch the world go by through a Costa window (other cafes are also available), and how the things they see vary depending on where they are. I tried to highlight the things which exemplify Largs for me. But I'm also cognisant that spaces that seem the same are different for different people, so even if you've been to Largs you might not recognise mine.

Through the glass

Through the glass while the sun shines brightly I see

Ina driving her daughter

who leans on her window,

watching the ferry unload

a bin lorry,

peculiarly clean with its cargo.

Through the glass while the sun is bright I see

a little girl with ginger hair and teal hairband,

hands shoved firmly in the pockets

of her dark green woollen coat.

Despite the cold she wants

Geraldo’s ice cream.

Through the glass while the sun shines brightly I see

a red car clip a corner

behind an older couple, slowly crossing.

They glance briefly, unperturbed.

Through the glass brightly I see

a woman in a hi-vis jacket,

long dark hair pulled back.

She issues instructions to men in vans,

checking their credentials.

Through the glass I see

the woman with the long flame hair

who walks and walks and walks.

She stops to say hello to someone

as she does with me but

I do not know her name.

Through the glass (brightly again) I see

two men pass each other,

both have hands sheltered deep in pockets.

They have no nods to share.

Through the glass brightly I see

a man puffing his cheeks against the cold,

wrapping reddened fingers around an umbrella

wrapped in plastic

lest it should get wet.

Through the glass brightly I see

the bus for Gourock

with five people on it.

In the long legged seat near the back a man

lifts his eyes from his book.

Through the glass shadowed he sees

me.

© Cara L McKee 1/4/17

****update 2/4/17 - turns out the woman with the long dark hair is also Ina's daughter, and she works at the ferry terminal!