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
