Middle-aged men, now unemployed,
gather in parks and watch older men
play chess. They say they feel guilty
for not bringing money home.

Divorced women on the bus talk
about taking whole-day bus rides
to while away time and how it's better
than being alone at home, facing four walls.

Grannies who have outlived their husbands
and put their hair permanently in buns
sit on a wooden bench and ask me:
'Who are you waiting for?
Why are you so thin?'