WRONG TURN AT ELEPHANT:
From the train to the tube, following the boys from South London
I take a wrong turn at Elephant & end up in an alley between the
shopping centre & street stalls. It’s the kind’ve place I lived
in back in the day, dark corners where the dirt sings ‘Hallelujah!”
I sink back into my beast & adopt ‘the stare’, but if anyone looked
twice they’d see right through it. Move fast, with extreme purpose,
observe all exits, look ahead but listen behind. With a gang of
zig-zag girls waling wide-eyed & ready, covering my rear I move
swiftly to higher ground, drawn by the sound of traffic & the
comforting glow of a London Underground sign. Sanctuary in the
smell of dust & electricity sucked out’ve the holes beneath us.
The warm air hits me in the face & I inhale the skin of millions.
The lifts are rammed, eyes stare back at me, blinking. I take the
stairs keep moving, remain out’ve sight of the sparking boys,
sounding loud & up for it just ahead.
(K)
Karl Hyde 
Epic.
Rememebers me of good times… been there done that.
Fortunately
I’ve almost lost ‘the stare’, I know it’s going to be back as soon as I return to the other island.
Ahh..! Poor misunderstood Elephant. She’s a different beast now. Castrated her subways for a shiny new-york skyline. Night time wandering is synaesthetic feast keep the stare in your pocket and head east …