even though it’s winter
it never really gets cold here…
in Leo’s apartment, that is
it’s upstairs
the woman who lives down stairs is in her 90’s…
she always has the heat cranked up
— we have to open the doors and windows sometimes
to let the brisk coastal breezes air out the sweltering room:
What is it like down there?
Leo asked me if would Walk Lighter…
i guess i stomp around a lot
a friend once said
“you white folk are always banging your feet in the earth”
he, being half red-indian
let himself feel haughty about his soft-footedness
Leo told me he’d noticed there’d been someone staying with the old lady every day for a few weeks
he figured there must be something wrong
and when he went down to ask one day
the daughter answered the door
“is she ok?” he said
seeing her looking like a pale rasp of herself in the chair in the corner of the room, breathing heavily
the daugher smiled
” oh, yes: she’s fine…”
yesterday
when Leo was home for Lunch
an ambulance came and took her away…
Leo was quite concerned
he went out to talk with the Paramedics
“is she alright?”
“you know, she doesn’t want to be in a care-home… so when she get’s sick we have to take her into the hospital.. she’ll be alright”
but i wonder…
is it going to be cold up here now?
can anyone
ever face death
honestly?
Are thre lonely housewives or elderly folk
who are actually Happy to hear the Telemarketers call?
do they breathe a silent sigh of relief that they have someone to talk with for a while?
someone who
maybe
also has a life as… Spacious as theirs
but in a different way
they cannot pronounce their name properly
or may be asking for someone who doesn’t even live there…
but it’s a human
and you can ask them about the weather in…
where are they?
Arizona…
or
Colorado…
do they have conversations?
do their husbands or concerned children ever yell at them for giving so much money to randomn charities
or all the packages and letters that arrive
alerting them to their new services?
does this fulfill the need for something?
… everyone’s gotta keep warm.
Recent Comments