Halloween night, Londoners rush past me in the cool darkness, so many faces basking in the glow of mobile devices, as they check their digital pulse, by text, tweet or call. It reminds me of a needy lover to whom too much attention must be paid. I wonder, if we will notice our own species demise unless someone updates it on their status? I find myself, closing my eyes and soaking up the sound. Here in my personal darkness, the swiftly passing strangers becomes a steady drum beat of footfalls. Over which an lapping stream of conversations pours by, full of the secrets of their lives, troubles and romances, tribulations and chit-chat all given away at full volume. No care or woe to whom may be listening in this new century. As I am, to a small group of tourists next to me, who are excitedly laughing and swapping places with each other, inside and out of a classic bright red telephone booth. Back in the day, these once plentiful dinosaurs gave someone making a call some privacy. Nowadays, the few left are neutered, unable to phone anywhere. Their purpose in extinction to give visitors somewhere to be photographed in an icon from of an England long gone.
I move on and become again part of this night crawl towards Piccadilly Circus. My mind drifts backwards as I move forward with the crowd. It's been a splendid few days, which started from the quietness of Gibraltar's little airport and brought me here, clattering around on the noisy London Tube. It's more than a quarter century since I've lived in this city but my love for it has never left me. It's funny what you miss? This afternoon, as I strolled across acres of green grass in Hyde park with a lovely bolt of warm sun on my face. I realized, how much I have missed the delicious rustle which leaves make moving on a cool autumn breeze and the pure fun of stepping into those fallen piles of red, brown and gold. The delightful sound as you crunch and crackle through them searching for
'Conkers'.
I've spent hours like this walking, taking in the buildings, colors and tastes of this beautiful old lady which is London and the endless variations of it's inhabitants. My need to soak up this and some art, to re-charge my engines, has also coincided with the pleasure of meeting up with old friends. As I am tonight. I cut through a side street to try and speed up my journey. The huge din of human voices drops dramatically off and a queer, muffled silence falls around me. I walk through this eye in the storm for a few minutes, almost alone. My body shivers and I quickly pull up my hoodie to warm myself against the cold wind pushing me forwards. The drop in temperature feels sudden. “What supernatural?” Quips, the cynical, horror fan inside of me. And then, the next moment I find myself gasping with surprise as a long line of gory Zombie roller skaters, slides past me at breakneck speed. Their bodies all moving as the undead do, in a gruesome, sicking parody of human motion. I laugh out loud at having been tricked. So, that's where the costumes have been hiding? I had been wondering about the lack of Halloween attire? But then, as if by some dark magic, as I followed in the wake of the undead skaters into the circle of Piccadilly. The costumed were everywhere and the creatures were here to play!!! I smiled, the English have taken on this 'Halloween' thing rather well. Yet, another American delicacy absorbed and transmuted into a Blighty version of Yankee form.
I find myself in the centre of 'Piccadilly Circus' which under it's Big Top lighting looks marvelous. Huge monitor screens above us are throwing off gigantic commercials in tsunami waves of vibrant neon colors. A blazing, kinetic kaleidoscope of logos and brands pours down and basks the statue of 'Eros' and I in their Siren's glow. I remember the glittering canyon which is 'Times Square' and having stood there earlier in the year. One half of my life spent happily on the other side of the pond and another half spent growing up here. Both cultures melded in me with a large dose of Gibraltarian to taste. The quietness I had in that side street collapses and the roar of humans out on the prowl is so electric and charged, that it drowns out the circling traffic. It would seem that love could be in trouble? For the famous archer of true romance, is encircled by the children of the night who are dressed up to meet and greet as the no-longer living.
All in all. It's warming up to be a howling good Halloween.
