breast-pocket

          "breast pocket"

At a small table, an older woman
draws a bamboo toothpick from the breast‑pocket
of her frock, works with practiced care,
wipes it clean with a sheet from her thigh pocket,
then slips it back as the talk continues.

                         ___

A couple on the path, mid‑argument
over something already fading,
their steps carrying them toward the pond.
Above them, the same woman, younger now,
on the second‑floor balcony,
hand rising toward her breast‑pocket,
stopping, then calling down with a tone
that reaches the lawn with ease.
He fires back without looking up,
the moment tightening, then thinning out.

                         #

A child at the pond’s edge,
older boys in the water,
their shouts carrying across the surface.
Shoes off, shirt open,
the child stands between caution and invitation.
From the balcony, a small motion
travels the distance.

                         ___

Years later, a sidewalk café.
An older man finishes his meal,
reaches into the breast‑pocket of his shirt,
draws out a bamboo toothpick,
and works with the same steady rhythm
he has carried through decades.

His grandchild arrives, bright and curious.
Beside them, another figure —
middle‑aged now — lifts a hand
to their own breast‑pocket,
feeling a toothpick beneath its fabric,
the gesture settling in without voice.

.