I don’t like to be late and I had ten minutes 

to kill on the Terrace before the appointment.

The August light held hints of spring

in the copse of trees before the colonial college

and the strolling of well dressed young beauracrats 

who had held their roles 

cheered me.

when the traffic relented and I crossed the thoroughfare 

Toward the trees and light

 a human form was under a blanket 

on the grass beneath the boughs of a tree 

Pigeons hopped around a plastic bag of food

at  his or her side

and various people came down the path 

Either observing  or not observing

This scene

There would have been a time when this motionless figure 

would have gathered a concerned crowd 

but that time has long past 

And now the thick blanket and the shopping bag 

is as ubiquitous as

The rubbish blown into the piled up  leaves 

well

Its time for my appointment now 

Thank God for Modern Medicine