About Walking

It is September and I have been walking.

I am taking note because James Cook and Peter Anastas and Charles Olson have got me thinking about walking. In Gloucester.

Do people walk? Do people in Gloucester walk? And why do they walk? And why do I walk?

1. Gloucester has walkers, walkers who make a person stop and think about walking.

a. Richard from Bananas walks. He walks from East Gloucester to Main Street and home again. Almost daily.

b. The man with the sandals from Lincoln Park walks. He walks and he sits and walks and he sits.

c. Aurora used to walk. Aurora used to live in Lincoln Park. I miss Aurora.

d. My backyard neighbor walks. She waves and I smile. I wave and she smiles.

e. The dog walkers walk. Sometimes they collect their shit and sometimes they don't.

f. Ernie walks. He is training his new dog Bogen with the three legs to walk long distances because Ernie walks long distances. With his camera.

g. The Boulevard walkers walk. I do not know their names, but I recognize their faces.

h. Main Street walks. Briskly. With packages. With purpose. With anger. With amusement. Pushing baby carriages. Drag feet style.

I walk because I like the sound of footsteps following footsteps. It is slow some days and I sit. I look people in the eye--if I want to. I notice the flap, flappity of the flags that I wish someone would take down after the holiday.

I count stars, lights, bits of sea glass. I count waves. I count people. Walking.

Some days I think about her and her and him and her. And you. Sometimes.

Tonight it came up about what matters.

I think that Gloucester matters. And walking matters. And people matter.

Tonight I am happy that people matter.