Just Another Day Poem by Valerie Lennox

Six am the alarm breaks shrilly into the scattered edges of a dream
And the grey dawn peeks through a tattered gap in the curtain
Fumbling for a moment, reaching for the shattered start
Of yet another battered day.
Two coffees downed and a hastily buttered slice of toast
The ignition groans and whining the car shudders into life
Easing into the smog filled dank morning misty traffic
And so begins another weary day.
Clatter, chatter, telephones scream demanding
Whirring, clicking, hum of stale air circulating
Head pounding, eyes straining, feet aching
Heart thumping, adrenaline pumping,
Deal making, deal breaking
Budget, target, deadline
Lunch time.

On the street, people walking, talking
An old man sits on the pavement softly blowing
And strains of music gently part the crowds
His eyes are blind, at his feet the case of his saxophone
Chinks and crackles as change is casually thrown in
And unseeing he plays his melody of Autumn Leaves
His memories of love’s refrain.

Five pm the clatter, chatter slips into silence
Heels click and elevators whirr and buildings spew
A mass of people, running, hurrying, passing thoughtlessly
He packs his sax and heads for the train.
Hooters honking, vendors shouting, the traffic snarls slowly
Homeward bound to dinners cooking, children bathing
Evening news and night time prayers.
Yet, somehow, the melody lingers, sweetly haunting
The blind man’s music has impacted into evening closing
As the last bird sings its farewell song
And peace descends, closing curtains
Upon another day.