All in a Day
Noticing I admire his high hedge,
he says he still clips it himself,
and his neighbour their side:
'luckily the notorious hedge-
burner of these suburbs
in recent years hasn't found us.
It's so dense up top, one night
a fox ran right along it.'
*
We stop at the red light;
a bright orange hat appears,
under it a spruce juggler
handling one two three balls.
Tip him we must. Before the green
he's paced the line of cars,
holding towards us his
hat with its three balls.
*
Visiting the seniors' club
for afternoon tea with our dogs,
the young Lab perks up
at new faces to greet,
offering to lick their hearing
aids from their ears,
scrambling over the lino
to the plates of cake and fruit.
The old folk brighten
filling the room with tales
of dogs they used to know
who loved them dearly.
Our old Lab stands round
awkwardly, not quite pettable.
*
Under the park trees two slow
tai-chi devotees in unison
attract my off-leash Labrador.
She moseys up to them as if
about to give them both a sniff,
whereat a graceful slo-mo kick
redirects her to my care.
Dusk, and birds are settling down.
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