We went out to town and took pictures
of people in queue at the shopping mall.
A third of them had been there since Friday;
pilgrims and parents with new praying beads.
On the High Street, we met a prophet
who asked everyone for directions. I gave her
some cake but she smiled, threw it away.
Our dog played with a child. We giggled,
bought ice creams; the sun shone holding
candid sale tags. A season gone; another
autumn busking outdoors ‘As early as last
time’ you said. On the way back to the car,
I lost the parking ticket. The dog laughed
at the surveillance camera and someone
let us pass through the exit barriers.
The city, on a plain, stood intact.
Maria Stadnicka
Illustration Rupert Loydell