Notes from a bus
I am on a bus in South West London, a lot further than I normally go. Chelsea Bridge makes me think of a Dave who used to live here, one of my closest friends to move to the other side of the world. With Battersea Power Station which a semiex who I just discovered is back in London loves.
I was on a bus over that bridge in 2014, terrified I’d see Vicky. I was getting a massage, from the masseuse who used to work at my climbing wall. Her husband used to work at Imperial and we would eat lunch in the same Maths/Physics Dept cafe. He was made redundant after Brexit. She is moving to France. Spoke about how she doesn’t recognise anyone at the wall anymore. They have recently had fast staff turnover, and were on the fourth generation of staff since I started. But ten years climbing there means I have gone through a lot of climbing buddies. Every London wall is full of ex-Archers. I keep bumping into people from lives past who tell me they don’t climb there anymore.
After ten years in a place, a place with 7 million people, I see faces of people long gone in crowds, half-recognise old friends for a second. But then, I was never good with faces. At climbing walls, when people start talking to me, I'm not sure if we've spoken before or not. It would all blur into one but the climbing. "I'm reading good books" is a phrase that can bely any internal issues. But, I am reading excellent books.
I was always more into nostalgia than optimism.
After ten years in a place, a place with 7 million people, I see faces of people long gone in crowds, half-recognise old friends for a second. But then, I was never good with faces. At climbing walls, when people start talking to me, I'm not sure if we've spoken before or not. It would all blur into one but the climbing. "I'm reading good books" is a phrase that can bely any internal issues. But, I am reading excellent books.
I was always more into nostalgia than optimism.