The cold rain is driven by a south wind
Puddles collect in the low spots
Drops dwell into concentric circles
A natural Venn of unknown inequities
Blends of who we are and what we may yet become
Yes
She comes daily at five minutes to nine
By her choked watch it is always five minutes to nine
"They will open soon"
"In five minutes", though in reality it is closer to twenty
Her frailty is moved to the streets daily
"They will open in five minutes"
She comes from the most opulent of buildings
A doorman opens the door with feigned wishes well
"Good morning missus", he says
"They will open soon", her retort
Ragged clothing is made for the weather
Wool coat, practical in the cold
Malodorous in the rain
And made more so through lack of care
"They will open in five minutes, you wait"
And the waiting step back
Cosmetic applications are thick and plentiful
Blue eyes surrounded in black and featured blue green
Rouge appliqué adds height to the face
Of a hunch backed tiny woman
Appearances: down on her fortunes
A non-reality
Eccentricities abound around her
From her bright red lips
"Soon, soon, you wait"
Customers step back another stride
Unkempt hair is covered to the weather
Her Safeway plastic bag a cover to the elements
On the right foot a vegetable bag
The left, a meat
All shredded from her short walk
Muttering all the way
Doorman to the door
"They will open soon"
A gurgle and a spit
And all step back further
She pulls a tissue
Rom her white Gucci Nice Leather Tote
A tissue
This tiny drop of a woman
Her concentricity push the eccentricities
Outward in curious fear
We desire not to be touched by the unwashed
"They will come soon"
The doors are opened
"Hello missus", says the doorman
The first allowed to enter
The first to receive her tea
A wide circle of space left between her and customer
She collects her bags
Wraps her hair and soles
And returns to opulence
The ripples spread flat
Into elapsed momentary normalcy
