slippers slap her feet
as she walks the snaking
curve of the street
she stops every few feet
when one or the
other drops
away
phone in hand, debating
if i should call to get her help
but too mesmerized by
the step, the slap, the drop, the pause
to dial the phone today
Aside from the sense that the passenger through life was not quite in full charge of her actions, there was no real reason to dial for assistance for the woman. She was my age, give or take, a little bedraggled and was wearing a house robe, but otherwise seemed to only be suffering from footwear that was entirely inappropriate for her journey. I decided that my intervention was probably not welcome and I put my phone down.
5 responses to “drops”
I can feel that contemplation. Some moments leave an imprint, don’t they.
It was surreal. It doesn’t help that I’ve never seen her before in the neighborhood.
Yeah, they stick with you 🙂
The memory of seeing a “bag lady” on Main Street in my hometown when I was a child has remained with me. Not PC, but that was the term used back then. Of course, I’ve seen many more homeless people, sadly, but that memory is so vivid.
Living in and around several downtown areas over the years, I’ve experienced seeing folks down on their luck. It’s always hard and there’s not always an easy way to lend them a hand, as much as we might like to.
I know, one of life’s dilemmas and the unanswered questions of why this reality exists.