Troublesome Inclinations

Twice today, 

I have witnessed

the slope of a pavement

catch out a mother with

a child in a pushchair:

two smart women

checking messages

on their smart phones

as strollers roll

quietly away toward traffic.

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
raquel-dapice/a-baby-book-of-disasters_b_5112915.html

The first 
by a bus-stop

brought to the tense present 

by the shoulder-prodding

finger

of a fellow queuer 

who was aware

of the lack

of awareness.

The second, 
on Upper Albert Road,

with a freshly collected 

school-aged infant in tow,

is immediately

alarmed by the speed

of the escaping

buggy.

She lunges forward

as I pass her
on the opposite path

but she still
has time

to flash me

an embarrassed smile.