Photographs: taken & not taken

 

•  Huge bay window, mostly obscured by glare and the reflection of the rooftops across the street, but with an alien on the sill. The large, grey, wrinkled body turning to face me: a hairless cat, all satelite ears and bulging eyes.
• A parade of paraolympic and olympic athletes, glimpsed from behind a small crowd: a toddling girl in a white knit beret holding her grandmother's hand; boys barely old enough to drive (so it seemed to me, which means I am now ancient), uncomfortable in their new uniforms, at attention but barely; a fumbling mascot, whose furry white head was slipping
• A woman, younger than she looked (I am guessing), worn down, worn out, cheeks like crumpled paper bags, but wearing a bright purple trench coat of super-hero proportions 
• On the bus: leopard print doc martins, scuffed and worn through to the sock in several places
• Balding pony-tailed man, on the nearby commuter train platform, totally rocking out to his giant headphones
• Jarring juxtaposition: glowing white sign, brand new, just took off the plastic wrap, that reads "Atelier Bella Couture" on the oldest, grimiest, dilapidatedest run down old shop
• Super slick business man in his suit, driving his shiny sedan and vigorously picking his nose (you know those car windows aren't one-way mirrors, right?) (also, I saw this twice, two different men)
• Late afternoon light falling through all of these masses of green things that have appeared on the tips of trees overnight
• Me, walking home, listening to music for a change (instead of the usual audiobook), feeling the urge to dance along the sidewalk   

Taken: from a walk I took near work a couple of summers ago 

Not taken: today, also around work and on the way home