London Fields is on my Mind #2
- Charlie Kang
- Oct 28, 2016
- 3 min read
We venture off onto East London to experience one of its favourites pastures, London Fields, to seek solace and natures serenity.
London Fields
Tuesday 4:45pm
London Fields is on my mind
I leave my tiny room
I ride through the homeless few
Bricks turn to wood
Smoke turns to air
Busy turns to tranquillity
I observe the interactions on the park
I don’t dare disturb
Chance the Rapper’s ‘Same Drugs’ is my noise
The solo guitar jam at the end is divine
An owner tosses the ball
The dogs stop fighting and off they go
They walk in twos
They walk in threes
Beers on hand
Discussions in session
Ready to join their clan
A final catch up
For winter is near
Mixture of colours fill the sky
Like a painter’s palette
An artist’s dream
Surreal it seemed
The smell of the grass
The breath of unpolluted
Away from the city’s hustle
Here, there is no bustle
For London, this is so rare
Wednesday 9:15pm
Riding along after the Great British Bake
I ride through the Broadway Market light
The cheerful take advantage of this lovely night
The Dove maintain a cheerful beat
Cat and Mutton spill onto the street
No engines to be seen
Only catch ups and laughter are keen
A man reads his comic book
Two girls crack open a frothy beer
The few warm nights we have left oh dear
The great strip intertwines those who ride
And those who walk
A homeless guy walks alone
He ponders his next home
He passes a woman carrying groceries
She passes by a couple courting on a park bench
They are passed by those coming from work
They are passed by those going to work
The sun set two hours ago, long gone
During summers peak, she’d still be with us
Those moments seem far away now
Calmness fills the air
But we can never brake away clean
We are not immune from the city’s race
So we maintain our fast pace
We ride
We Walk
Destination A to B
We scuffle until we insert the key
London Fields lingering my mind.
Thursday 4:45pm
London Fields is on my mind.
A woman reads on the seat
She comes up for air
For a peak and stare
Families watch their children play
With their four-legged companion
The man in blue puffs away his cigarette
A father rides his bike, his child riding on the frame
The sun shines on the trees
Creating shadows, lines and yellow leaves
A girl skypes her friend on her blanket
A pug takes a toilet break
People are moving
People are staying
Basketball is today sports in the cage
Tomorrow will see football retain its reign
Riding without hands
Riding with hands
They ride all differently
A boy rides still in uniform
His mum jogging by his side
Schoolboys chase each other
A dog patiently waits, ball in mouth
ready for another chase
Ready for another thrill
Speedy bikes cut the slow park in half
The shirts of riders rippling away pleasantly
Listening to Angels by Chance the Rapper
Certainly helps capitalise the mood
A girl rides her scooter without care
Almost as tall as her
Only to be upset, when it doesn’t work on grass
A girl walks aimlessly while texting
Mums and bubs catch ups are in session
The park bench offers a place to nest
For the man who reads slowly to rest.
An elderly man reads his paper
A couple rest their heads on each other
Telling their secrets, bound by touch
At peace
Like watching television on their couch.
Friday 6:45am
The Morning mist, the crisp chill
Its begun
Winters presence is felt
Summers days are outnumbered
Light blue skies swim with the mild yellow
Mumma Sun gets herself ready for the day
Council workers ride in tandem
An elderly woman runs to work
Her bag clicked and clacked, top to bottom.
It’s always riders
It’s always runners
Their fury companions never too far away.
Remnants of last night’s festivities still linger
A ciggie there, a bottle cap there
But now as the sun regains its strength
The park wakes up now,
Ready for another day of service
I leave the oasis returning to the metal desert
The sound of trains growing louder
I leave the sanctuary for another day
London Fields is on my mind.
Until next time. CK.