I see them around
Smiling tough youngsters
everywhere.
The bold, the bald
The long haired,
the shoddy
the belligerent
At times , the slick.
At the library
The canteen
the coffee shops.
Alone ,in groups
or in pairs.
I watch them
Their impatient gait.
Their arrogant laughter
breaks the silence
of the malls
l visit .
Their stares pierce me
as I move past them
pretending
not to have noticed
the sly looks
the whispered comments.
I want to turn around and kick.
At times they ‘vroom’
past me
ignorant of road rules
causing me to curse.
I just hate them
these toughsters
Their casual ways
Their sneering looks
Their lust for life
And impertinence.
I trudge back
carrying
All these sights and sounds
labouring under the weight
of the groceries
and an empty purse .
Later
Late at night
My reading disturbed
I realize that
I haunt all these places
Just to see them again.
Their vibrancy energizes me .
At times at least
I have to be honest
With myself.
It’s a love-hate relationship
Toughsters and me.
🙂 Good one !!!!
Volatile bundle of adolescent energy, creative. destructive, non-chalant, that’ll make you cringe…..YET, you’ll turn around for a second look…..