The Age of Lycra

She was an ancient woman and I used to see her every rainless early morning. She always wore an overcoat a headscarf, and thick and wrinkled old woman's stockings. Her gaunt and stubborn shuffle was ever being overtaken by pairs of cheerful ladies, so confident in brightly overburdened lycra. They would send friendly words in her direction and she would nod them gentle smiles in return. I always knew that one fine day would dawn when she, and her headscarf, overcoat and thickly wrinkled hose, would have become what all becomes. . And so the footpath now is theirs, the pairs, of cheerful ladies so confident in brightly overburdened lycra and forever XXL.