I’m Up
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Builders drill and cut and tap
Starlings land on wires for a chirp
Low jazz floats out a window
A helicopter chugs overhead
A smooth electric car whirrs by
It splashes through a puddle
A woman walks on one side of a phone call
She’s late and apologetic
Signal failure at Dollis Hill
A car boot opens and shuts
Suitcase wheels roll over pavement squares
Sounds like a Bee Gees intro
The rain has stopped but it drips off the gutter
Seagulls make demands of each other
What are they doing in Gladstone Park?
A plane roars for a few seconds
That neighbour coughs in fits and instants
A siren blares in the distance
A polite breeze gently rattles our fence post
I rumble for breakfast
I think marmite on toast
The stairs creak under my feet
I’m up, London, I’m up.
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Julie Hamill is a novelist, a radio presenter and more. Follow her on X/Twitter.