The speaker describes an ordinary errand: a walk through the neighborhood to buy a gallon jug at a market. Along the way they notice small scenes, like older women with cracked hands chatting over tea and donuts, and construction workers carving wood, which prompts the speaker to imagine the splinters those men will carry home. The poem pays attention to hands and the physical cost of work, even in a casual stroll.
The mood is gentle and observant, but it cools at the end. At the market, the speaker smiles and thanks the cashier, who seems indifferent. After all the warmth and curiosity shown toward strangers on the street, that lack of response feels a little lonely. The speaker doesn't complain, though. The poem simply leaves us with a quiet gap between someone who notices others and someone who, in that moment, doesn't notice back.