windows

the neighbor's kitchen window hangs mere feet from our bicycle shed door. at night, it is a lit rectangular portal into a tidy, dated room with sunny yellow wallpaper and a hanging calendar that always shows the proper month. during the days, when the sun can bounce just enough of its rays to reach the sill, toy potted plants dance to signal that their solar panels have been activated.

sometimes, i see the old lady who lives there, always in a comfortable gown, hunched with her head at a painful angle, shuffling towards the sink. her aides are never far, but they leave her the space to maintain her dignity.

sometimes, an aide comes out to sweep the walkway. once, i left the shed at the same time, and she jumped, yelped, and then said hello out of embarrassment.

i always wave to them; they look happy, and that makes me happy.

25 August 2018 21:36