A Supermarket Car Park, 10pm
By Justin D. Dooley
Location: Worldwide Supermarket, Rusholme
I watch them from my window scuttling
with their arms clutching crying bundles.
They are catching starlight in puddles,
scurrying around full bins and loose tins
and cars and trolleys and the trees with
their beggared branches reaching out, as the
sharp moon scowls. They slosh through
yesterday’s slush prints as leaves mulch
beneath their feet. Pleas sketched on scraps
with white knuckle palms pressed together.
Escape is not an option, there are
no passports for people pending.
As the curtains close, you slide into
the shadows in silence.
Justin D. Dooley has just graduated from MMU with a degree in Business and English. He is one of the founders of UNSUNG, an organisation that has been producing a free magazine and various arts events throughout Manchester since 2008. His writing has been published in Mental Virus, Best of Manchester Poets and Bewilderbliss. http://www.justinddooley.blogspot.com
Stats:
July 19, 2011 at 8:44 am, Belinda Johnston said:
I really like this poem. It’s got lots of gritty as well as beautiful images.
I live close to Cheetham Hill area and it reminds me very much of the women who go shopping with their children, the hustle and bustle of it all.
There are also many immigrants in this area, resulting in lots of languages and fusions of different cultures.
There is also a dark side to this piece, the women with their crying bundles, the Romanian community is struggling in the city and they’re seen but not seen.
Thank you
Belinda
September 22, 2011 at 1:39 pm, Justin Dooley said:
I’ve only just come across this. I used to peer out of my kitchen window and watch these people for hours on end.
Thanks for choosing to publish it. I really appreciate it.