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Winter's Pedestrian - 18/12/1998

Exposed to the elements, buffeted by the wind and rain,
relying on some respite, and desperate for refrain;
unsheltered, unprotected, subjected to the conditions,
pacing by the roadside, inhaling the emissions.
Fleeting faces pass me by, under amber illumination,
anonymous suburbanites, easy listening for relaxation.
Briefly lit, bodiless shapes in ant-like trails of traffic,
homeward bound meca-humanoids, seemingly character-less and automatic.
Deep in daily drudgery, daydreaming of escapes,
climate controlled machinery creates semi-stupor states;
safety taken for granted, soothed by the radio's lullaby,
heater's warmth induces sleepiness, their dangers driving by.
Wistfully I look on, wishing I were so at ease?
For the cold cuts through my being, chill factored by the breeze.
Do they see the roadside figure huddled against the cold?
More likely I am invisible, not a vehicle to behold.
It seems as though my life reflects this winter scene,
a leper without transport, an outsider, I'm unclean.
Awaiting, always waiting, maybe someone will pass by,
yet recognition is unlikely, life's roadside is where I'll die.
braced against the weather and life uneasily I shift,
maybe I should change things?
Perhaps I'll hitch a lift…
 
© Nicholas Vosper 2001