I’ve been derelict in my writing duties as of late and I wish I had a better excuse but the fact of the matter is I just got busy. I have had some random thoughts I’ve been collecting on the phone but never acted on any of them but today I have something to say.
I think I might be becoming accepted into the local homeless community on my weekend walking routes and I kind of like it. I’ve been saying hello and locking eyes for the last couple weeks and it makes me happy. I got a compliment this morning because I kept my eye on a tweaked couple who were visiting another planet in their brains but thought it might be a good idea to follow me.
I stopped, turned around, and just stared at them. It took a second to get through the fog but then it dawned on them both that the potential prey might have turned into a threat. I wouldn’t have done anything unless provoked but they really shouldn’t follow folks who are just out walking. Plus I was just coming up on a family living in a tent that I tend to give a little money and I didn’t want that transaction to happen in front of drug obsessed eyes.
It was the mom in the tent who asked me how I knew they were coming. I explained that after. Walk past I find things to look interested in so I can keep a peripheral eye on them. She then explained that they all carry shiny things to look at to use as rear view mirrors. Smart, and sad all at the same time.
I told her that when her husband got back they should consider moving up the hill a little bit. Drug zombies have trouble navigating steep inclines plus higher ground is much easier to defend. And as if I set it up for illustration purposes there was one stuck three steps up a hill not 40 yards further down the path. I even took a couple minutes to trek up the incline to a level protected spot.
This little tableaux plays out every day not a mile from my house. I love living in a city not a suburb but it takes some getting used too. The reason I wrote this not so funny thought chain down is that I am officially adding homeless to my list of core competencies. My brain is so broken that it began to figure out how to organize and form protective collectives of the unhomed. It’s always good to have options.