A board drops with a loud CLACK
Legs push and push then stand
Lean
Carve
Roll around corners
It glides through
On and on...
But that is not what I see.
I see broken paving stones
Uneven curbs
Small plant life creeping from
Between cracks
Soft tar
Rough pebble dash concrete
Jagged drain covers
Wet from the morning rain
Dog shit
Pigeon shit
Spilt coffee and last nights vomit
I see a chasm of bodies
Columns of legs closing in
Arms out dangling steaming
Hot coffees
Eyes away
Or down on phones
Unaware
And then Broken glass
Dogs
Feral children...
I see around corners
I see the ground immediate, and the
Road ahead
All at once
I lighten my body and
Lower my centre of gravity
Within a split second
Buildings pass at high speed but
I turn right angles before
You
Can blink
And stop on the spot as though
Glued to the street
All this to get from point A
To point B.
20 years in, and it is still so
Much
Fun.