Drawn out
by the sunshine
the socially distanced
form a long
stretched out
queue outside the
Beach House.
They keep a safe distance,
while worrying about the crowds
and the unmasked.
They cling to what to feels normal –
The same aroma of coffee
served in takeaway cups, which they
caress like an old friend while
listening to a busker
play California Dreaming
on a battered twelve string guitar.
Because there’s music and sunshine
and coffee and a view of hilly Fife across the water
they start to relax, becoming
more like their old selves
Only something has changed.
They can’t explain what yet.

Someone else makes a joke about
the two-metre rule.

Julia Carman