Watching her go!

She runs right past me,

butt naked,

right down the street,

just on the other side of the cars

parked all along the sidewalk.

Her long dark hair trailing behind her

like treads of wild silk,

flapping in the wind.

She’s smiling as she goes,

but I don’t say a word.

I just watch her go,

for at my age

extraordinary events require complete silence

and anyway,

it’s not every day

that a happy naked woman

with beautiful long dark hair,

runs right past me

down the road.

I watch her go

and so does a few dozen other people,

who a few seconds ago

were all minding their own business,

walking along here on the sidewalk

and just as I

they are all enjoying the show.

Mazzy, my crazy neighbour from across the hallway,

who lately has been following me around

like a zombie from a B-grade movie,

sweeps a strand of blond curls out of her eyes,

sticks her bony finger into my ribs

and yells into my ear; “Go after her! Give her your coat!”

I don’t even bother to look at Mazzy,

just keep my eyes fixed on the naked woman

running further down the road.

“What? I’m not going to run after her. And anyway, what for? She doesn’t look cold to me.”

“She obviously high on something!” Mazzy yells again, “She doesn’t know she’s naked! Go after her! Give her your coat!”

“What? She’s not high on anything! She’s just a happy exhibitionist streaking down the road.”

“You’re a retard!” Mazzy’s yelling to loud; "...go give her your coat!”

The whole neighbourhood can hear her shouting at me.

For some reason when it comes to Mazzy,

a social drama can start wherever it wants,

but it always has to end with me.

“Let her run,” I say and then point my finger down the road; “…she might turn around somewhere down there and come back this way and then we can all get a better view of it all.”

“You’re a retard!” She shouts again,

and I keep my eyes on the naked woman,

who now seemed to have picked up speed.

I’m hoping she’s going to turn around somewhere down there

and run back this way,

but she doesn’t turn around.

Her wild hair sweeps again,

more silk whiplashing in the breeze

and gently tilts her head to one side,

her whole body bobbing up and down in her run.

Then she takes a sharp turn,

up the first road to the left

and like the few other dozen people on the sidewalk

I remain frozen,

staring at the corner down there

watching her streak around it.

then she disappears out of sight

and like everybody else,

I’m still waiting for her to come around this way,

but nothing happens,

Nobody sees her.

She’s gone

and Mazzy, my crazy neighbour from across the hallway

doesn't wait for anything to happen either.

She takes a few steps towards me,

sticks her bony finger into my ribs again

and yells at me

again;

“You're a retard!”

Conrad Kruger van den Bergh (Copyright, 2023)