Passerby Poker

Rach and me developed this to idle away the strides on our morningside meander.

Jackie O is a painted lady, thin, pale, fabulous clothes - swings her arms, chews gum. She's almost always there though - Ten of Spades.

The Heron, balding, dips an angular beak into a daily book, always perched - another regular - Nine of Diamonds.

The Queers - latterly, The Preggies (although only one was packing) - naturally a Queen Pair - Clubs and Hearts. They used to be just Eights or Nines, never sure which, but they're hardly ever seen these days.

Disco is about twenty-three, swings arms as well (normally good walkers, this pack) - always colloted, always sleeveless, always ALWAYS with a big pair of cans on her head - always see her - Ten of Clubs.

Two Smoking Ladies - both near the Estate - Smoking Lady One was only a Six, so reliable was she, but she went missing for ages - elderly - retired? - she most recently appeared in the August light, in apron - these days a Spade, a Jack, to fall in rank if her appearances stack up. Smoking Lady Two was never without fag - always dragging at the same allotted corner - an Eight at the time. But now the holidays are on, or perhaps she's wheezed her last - she'd have to be another Queen (Spades).

There's The Monk - a curious article - dwelling residentially in the mother-sphere I don't doubt - preening along, hovering round St Paul's, or the Bridge - reliable as clockwork like only a Six of Diamonds can be.

Piotr is also ranked pretty low - an Eastern ex-pat with a Man U fixation, broad-shouldered, diabolical - Seven of Hearts, if only to anger his Devil. And Patch? - Six of Clubs. Sorry fella.

An Ace is reserved for a wholehearted Dreadnaught - shuffling gait of a beast, swarming lips, beige danger in an angelic black head - a sentimental Ace of Clubs. He makes it in regularly - because dogs are walked - but he's truly the symbol, the token of esteem, the flower of beauty. The hand is irredeemably poorer without him. The Guy With The Neck - Dreadnaught's apprentice, lead ever to hand - doesn't score.

The Ace is pretty difficult to award, as it goes to the rarely-eyed, a beautiful chimera - someone you may only see once, the equivalent of betting on Red 37.

We're still looking for a good King and another Ace. Maybe it's the stiff-eyed girl with her perfect partner.