14th of July
by and published in Edition Three of Pomegranate
The hiss of milk being steamed and frothed
and something that could be in Polish or could in be Russian
but either way is soft, ambiguous.
Outside, women hurry to work in tailored trousers.
It is Bastille day, and the pigeons rise like a sail from the pavement.
The waitress sweeps the flakes of croissant from the next table
and then she wipes it again, since it is quiet, or since she is dreaming.
Last year when we were here for breakfast
that man in the corner, who spread his tarot cards
so they covered the whole square table.
Rosie Blagg
Rosie Blagg was born in 1983, and grew up in Somerset. She now lives in Leeds, where she studied for a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Translation Studies. She works as a creative writing tutor at the University of Leeds, and as a freelance translator (Spanish into English). Her poems have appeared in The Wolf magazine and on the Guardian website poetry workshop.