HEADS AND TALES

another day in the square
i ring the changes
move the banner
reorganise the display
relax
sit down on my fishing stool
pick up a copy of chris goodall
and wait patiently
it's even quieter than yesterday
and even the freebie stalls don't get very busy
early on i get very few bites
except for a bit of bovver
three rough-looking lads
who look like they haven't been home last night
one with a boxer's eye and a gash on his cheek
they want some of my still unopened organic wine
boxer guy don't wanna take no for an answer
this i hadn't bargained for
there i was imagining the middle class punter
or at least the respectable law-abiding one
but this is birmingham city centre
not earl's court exhibition centre
i stand my ground and manage to get rid of em
as the day wears on
slowly i grow in confidence
my patter becomes a bit more fluent and convincing
i'm more relaxed
i weather the lunchtime drizzle
get a couple of interesting leads
receive a lot fewer climate quiz prize draw entries
and hand out a lot more business fliers
gradually i'm putting my new business head on
in place of the old eco-warrior one
at four o'clock
to my horror and amazement
boxer and his mates are back
indignant as i hand out glasses of vino
to a couple of genuine customers
luckily for me security is standing right behind em!