paper girl

she hands out papers at
the base of the stairs at
the skytrain station, main and terminal,
her fingertips black smudges
her bag heavy is
slung over her shoulder,
weighted with newspapers – “The Metro”

she is easy on morning eyes,
with a slight figure, brown sweater
and jeans, a purple shock of hair
now faded in the purple glow of 6am –

in the wintertime she is there in
toque and coat, sometimes
the newsprint blackens her
face in places where she has
brushed a stray hair,
where her fingers met her lips.