love letter to an old woman on the tube

slice of life

〰️

slice of life 〰️

That day was blessed.

A crêpe was eaten that morning,

In a restaurant owned by a small man.

His mannerism reminded me of my grandfather.

A passion and simplicity that inspires respect and comfort.

Lunch was spent within the walls of a museum.

In the street, I was asked which fashion show I was headed to.

Could have been sarcastic, but why see it that way?

A box of chouquettes was acquired at Paul.

Footsteps tracing a path to the tube.

That’s when I saw her.

Sat next to me. An old woman.

Wrinkles on her hands.

A scar on her thumb.

A ring on her finger.

Marks of a life lived.

Full of successes and failures.

Her hands held a book.

Sketches of birds on each pages.

Hiking bag at her feet.

A hairclip holding up her wild grey hair,

In a way that seemed above caring about such things.

A passion.

That was all that mattered.

There were wrinkles in the corner of her eyes,

Around her lips.

Marks of someone who had smiled.

Who had laughed.

Wrinkles of happiness.

I hadn’t seen someone this beautiful in longer than I could remember.

Yet I couldn’t bring myself to tell her.

A moment of cowardice.

I did the closest thing to a compliment I could think of.

Opened the box and offered her a chouquette.

Silently thanking her for existing.

 

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going to the cinema is a ritual

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Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, the female friendship pioneers