Northumberland Street Cacophony

scribbled sounds tangle
caught in webbed-beam sunlight

rough voices echo
hoarse with life – drone deep
beneath children’s descant notes

trundled wheelie-bins
thud and throb across cracks
in back-alley paving stones

grins of young and old
rise to laughter
shrieks curve up
and freak screeching gulls

whilst white feathers float down
tickle babies’ nostrils
provoke surprised sneezes
responsive mothers’ hands extend
chuck soft cheeks

stilettos tap and tip unsteady gaits
when heels clip cobblestones

disparate footfalls pound beats

rhymes united to city rhythms
this dusty summer’s day
all life is here

Ceinwen E Cariad Haydon