Cool Fall day
Women in winter coats and gloves
Men in jackets and shirt-sleeves
Not cold; not warm
Last outdoor lunch of the year
Last time to watch the young women in heels and skirts parade in front of us
Soon, just long coats and eating in the office
Until Spring
Gray but bright like an office fluorescent
Splashing of fountain water
Drowning out conversations of office politics, weekend plans and sports
Soon the sound will be smothered by snow
Old man and young woman pass by --
Father/daughter?
Co-workers?
Boss/secretary?
Lovers?
Tourists pass
Their afternoon is not on the same schedule as it is for the rest of us
For us, it's the last of the year
For them, it's the beginning of discoveries in this foreign city
Businessmen greet each other with a smile and hearty handshake
Their enthusiasm breaks through the hushed sounds and sights
Young women eat their salads and yogurts
Guys with their subs and chips
Old men with their sandwiches wrapped neatly in foil
Trucks strain and grind gears as they start from the light
Sirens bounce off buildings like a rubber ball
Not sure where it is because the sound comes from all directions
The chill begins to take hold
The lunch doesn't satisfy the way it did in the warmth and sun and crowds of Summer
Somehow we've cheated and got one last lunch in the park before we're driven inside
— Michael R. Mauger
September 23, 2000
PO Square, Boston, MA