Did you notice the girl with the pushchair in town today? Did you?

With a wistful smile
She deftly tucks the blanket in,
Whispering as she does so,
"There, sweetheart, there."
Litter chatters along the road,
Needing to be somewhere else.
The baby sleeps for now,
Oblivious to the street wind
And her mother's quiet struggle.
Stalking the sales, special offers,
Trying to find ends to make meet
Maybe get ahead of the game
Not just make it to payday.
Around her the City pulsates,
A steel, stone and wire leviathan
Devoid of emotion, warmth, heart.
It breathes, dead exhalations of fumes,
Smoke and remains of nightclub dreams.
She pulls her collar tight
Shoulders her bag and heads for home.
Car horns blare and engines hum.
Maybe tomorrow,
Maybe....

2009-02-25T12:24:51Z

Alobar, it was a contortion of the phrase 'to make ends meet' as in juggling the budget to afford to live. I never thought of the possibility of meat to be honest. It always amazes me how different eyes see different things in the same places.

2009-02-25T12:26:44Z

Hi Giggles, yeah, I missed me too! Been tied up with a new project away from home and only just got an internet connection sorted. Living in digs with my mind for company! Hoooo! hoooo! Scary stuff!

Alobar2009-02-25T12:16:51Z

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Nice picture of poverty, good desolation painted in the land of plenty. An all too familiar scene.

Did you mean "meat?" or double meaning intended?

?2016-05-29T09:02:37Z

We have some Christmas displays in the stores. Decorations & trees & things on sale. After Thanksgiving, I expect that the city will be decorating around the lightposts, & garlands over the streets. Wiill be music playing. Not supposed to be going full tilt with Christmas stuff till we've had Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Grannyjill2009-02-26T00:18:47Z

Now you're talking. This is so poignant. It speaks but makes no judgemental statements....we can see the scene and make those for ourselves. I love your 'litter chatters etc.' and 'trying to find ends to make meet' - you avoid all cliches here.....one of the ones I wished I'd written.

jenny2009-02-25T13:22:29Z

Nice to read you again, you came to mind a couple days ago.


you painted a vivid picture of the now times, I got the meet phrase.
my mother for ever used, "we got to make ends meet" pay check to pay check, if your lucky to have a job.

Reenie: Mom of Marine2009-02-25T12:20:18Z

Excellent poem of what so many face every day in every place in the world.

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