I gaze out of the keyhole-shaped window,
Securely sealed with new double glazing,
Draped in exotic fabrics and abundance.
Another arched window stares back,
Framed by crumbling masonry,
A broken pane of glass patched with sackcloth.
A small girl pushes past the grimy lace curtain
Grabs the rusty bars
With chubby brown fingers.
Across the narrow alley
Our eyes meet:
Curious beads of cool blue
Confront deep, round pools of darkness.
I wave to her,
She stretches out her hand,
Through the railings towards me.
Her stubby fingers grasp
At the distance between us,
A metre away,
A world apart.