Impression 1
by Jeremy Boyce
1 - Waffles
Tables slanting, chairs pushed and stools angled down, bums parked, dress code : summer, light. Empty fountain full of kids, anxious parents standing by, just in case. Hubbubbububbub, clink-clank glassware on dirty plates, served and collected, dead leaves rustling, and crunching under fat feet. People come, people go, bags shouldered and carried, put down and picked up, closed and opened and closed again. Picked up, gone away. Eyes pass in directions between turned heads, grey hair back-pack and shoes kicked off. Kid scream and ice cream, big helpings and bigger eyes. Sticky mouth mum wipe. Chat-chit-chit-chat for time whiling. This is nice. We should come back. How much ? My shout. Where’s my bag ? Tables slanting, thoughtfully propped with thoughtless cardboard, wobble free and no spills, sloping drinks and sliding bottom angled seating. Thin straw sucked through gapped teeth baseball cap, bubbles and all, now run, jump, fall, bloodied knees and TCP. No harm done. People standing, sitting, shuffling, table for 2, 7, 4, swoosh cloth cleaning, here come the waffles. Clink-clank glassware on dirty plates, served and collected, slanting sun shadows flicker, swaying branch windy leaves, yellow and falling, dead leaves rustle and crunch under flat shoe feet. Sunglasses up, sunglasses down. Forgotten sunglasses left behind, remembered too late, sun blasting dusty windscreen many miles away. Lost property, properly lost. Red skinned faces smile shine all directions dressed in holiday suitcases, some driven, some flown. Sturdy-lace-up-flip-flop-sandal. Hot dog black tongue lapping in and out, throw me a stick but not too far. Sun shine bright stone walls shadows flicker and passing swifts, too fast for the shading trees and falling leaves. Clink-clank glassware and here come the waffles. Wind spin dust fly, dead leaves swirling. Happy teeth bright eyes holiday suitcase leaving tomorrow. Stand sit kissy-wissy, bill paid, no contact. New shoes next year.
(previously published in Impspired Issue 22)
Posted on May 15th 2023