Pigeon Toes and Duckfeet

Pigeon Toes and Duckfeet

The bench notices feet
its iron presses a pattern on the day
makes a last
prints colour on the silkscreen
pointillist layers of paint like
shuttered seconds which fly
as legs blur by

At noon a little girl in her practice dress
duckfeets
sitting on the park bench
hair pinned tight
ballet shoes swinging
her next class is singing

The afternoon is full of oohs
sensible shoes
library, dog walking, and shopping shoes
smart ones going to interviews
old ones for reading news

but at night there's no colour just lamped chiaroscuro
and a fine pair of high heels
pigeon toed and circling
the days paint now flakes of darkness
the laughter would make one guess
at the cherry red of her evening dress