A Casual Scene (poem)

Gemini Prompt: “Abstract image of a flowing river and a blinking ambulance in the style of a Van Gogh impression. Include a bridge and skyscrapers.”

Flickers, flickers, the blue lights on waiting
ambulances announce a scene, as workers in
neon vests tread with military attentiveness.
And pensiveness.

Flowing, flowing, River Clyde goes about its
business, bobbing to familiar rhythms as seagulls
flirt on its ramparts, against rippling reflections
of skyscrapers. And a lonely bridge.

Freezing, freezing, nature couldn’t care, as it
squirts brutal showers, to futile human
resistance. Umbrellas, jackets, boots. And
quick dashes to nearby covers.

Blinkers, blinkers, the blue lights announce a
horror, as corporate spectators steal hours from
PowerPoints to watch an unfolding scene.

A human is pulled from the bottom of Clyde.
One life gone. Just one. As others plod on.

• Chris Ogunlowo, 2024