Rush hour

She was rain caught for an instant,
the sudden downpour taking her by surprise;
momentarily, elegance slipped to haste,
a brief battle with the designer umbrella
commencing as she regarded her
reflection in a shop window.

I smiled to myself, imagining the preparation;
the careful enhancing of too thin eyelashes,
that last glance in the mirror
to reassure perfection,
as she feasted on organic green tea,
a thin, barely buttered slice of toast.

Then she was gone, lost to the crowd.
Only the tip-tap of high heels
leaving a lasting impression;
her aspirations fanning the margins
of my mind as I wished her God speed 
and the promotion she so clearly desired.

Reviews

[NotUsinganymore]

Very interesting take on people watching. I guess everyone does people watch, I wonder what they think of me lol.

[Crowley]

I wish her god speed as well. I love these slice of life pieces, ones that have a lot more story before and after, but left to your imagination they become fulfilling and nostalgic. You have a great tone when you write, it puts me at ease as soon as I start reading. Good stuff Beccy.

[Stephen]

I really liked this poem. It was really nice. Hopefully she will receive that promotion. Thanks for sharing

[NoelHC]

A fleeting moment captured in your inimitable way, again, a great write.

[Gee]

Yeahh,people watching,could do that for a living.Get down to MK shopping centre and sit in cafe italia,great vantage point and a lot of strange folk.Really enjoyed reading this poem

[Chris]

This is what sidewalk cafes are all about...

[jacob erin-cilberto]

reminded me a bit of "the mary tyler moore show"
and Mary skipping down the street to the theme song...first impressions being lasting impressions...
it's a fun scene in a way, but there is a serious undertone to this...
how we dress ourselves up in perfection in order to have a perfect life...but what really is happening is that we are striving for something a bit unachievable---that ideal isn't so real...and the rain is god's way of dialing us down some, smearing our make-up---

love the way you wrote this as observations....astute.

[ANTO]

What superb observation and people watching exercise Beccy (do you remember that ITV comedy show 'Watching' - with Lisa Tarbuck) - you have a great empathy for your fellow human beings I feel, from this.
I enjoyed 'watching' with you.
:)

[Woody]

high quality poetry. amazing! I'm truly in awe. you get a simple idea like making a random encounter, you pluck it and weave it into a seamless poem. and you make it look so easy.

[W.k.kortas]

Vanity, thy name is....well, all of us. Ed's note that is "snapshot perfect" is..well, snapshot perfect in its own right. This mixes a bit of a skewering with a certain empathy, which is a tricky wire to balance upon, but done so here with a seeming effortlessness. That is no mean feat.