#Homeless #CoronavirusPandemic
I owe yesterday’s McDonald’s a “thank you”
Let’s say you no longer have a companion, a friend, a relative or even a passerby to talk to all day, all month, may be even all year long. Whether it be yesterday, today or tomorrow, you no longer have to worry about it or have any anticipations or differentiate between those days. Day in, day out, month after month and year after year… Or if every moment, every second, every move you make no longer matters because there are no goals or meaning in life. Perhaps there is no longer any value to your existence or even any reason to cherish. If your happiness, sadness, anger, worry, thoughts, ideas, hate and love all turn into empty illusions and shadows that cannot touch anyone.
One day, I arrived at this place.
A place where I can hide from the wild winds and heavy rain; where I can take a break from the scorching heat in the summer and the bitter cold in the winter. A place where I can eat and drink whatever someone leaves behind, whether intentionally or by chance. A place where I can groom myself; where I can avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes and cockroaches; where I don’t have to worry about someone turning my nest upside down. So that I do not have to sleep on the streets, and worry about being cursed or pitied.
Then, I started staying here every night.
I hear the sounds of children and imagine having my own children and grandchildren. From these students’ playfulness, I can get a taste of happiness. I see a couple flirting with each other, and I can feel the romance. I even get to embrace life through a married couple’s arguments. Seeing the elderly and their hesitation, I can see what will happen to me next. From the familiar smells, I can even feel as though I have a home.
I never thought I would lose this place.
Carrying a phone that does not allow me internet access, pushing a cart full of belongings, I trudge across the slippery road in the darkness and the rain. Trying to find a corner on the streets where I can stay. I don’t have the capacity to understand this epidemic; or worry about whether I have enough masks or hand sanitizer. How will I know what tomorrow has in store for me? I do not need passersby or volunteers to show their insincere charity. I only have the strength to care for myself tonight.
Then I realize… I owe this place. Compared to the society in front of my eyes today, I feel like I owe yesterday’s McDonald’s a “thank you”!
Source : Stand News #Apr1
#subaltern #McDonalds
I owe yesterday’s McDonald’s a “thank you”
Let’s say you no longer have a companion, a friend, a relative or even a passerby to talk to all day, all month, may be even all year long. Whether it be yesterday, today or tomorrow, you no longer have to worry about it or have any anticipations or differentiate between those days. Day in, day out, month after month and year after year… Or if every moment, every second, every move you make no longer matters because there are no goals or meaning in life. Perhaps there is no longer any value to your existence or even any reason to cherish. If your happiness, sadness, anger, worry, thoughts, ideas, hate and love all turn into empty illusions and shadows that cannot touch anyone.
One day, I arrived at this place.
A place where I can hide from the wild winds and heavy rain; where I can take a break from the scorching heat in the summer and the bitter cold in the winter. A place where I can eat and drink whatever someone leaves behind, whether intentionally or by chance. A place where I can groom myself; where I can avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes and cockroaches; where I don’t have to worry about someone turning my nest upside down. So that I do not have to sleep on the streets, and worry about being cursed or pitied.
Then, I started staying here every night.
I hear the sounds of children and imagine having my own children and grandchildren. From these students’ playfulness, I can get a taste of happiness. I see a couple flirting with each other, and I can feel the romance. I even get to embrace life through a married couple’s arguments. Seeing the elderly and their hesitation, I can see what will happen to me next. From the familiar smells, I can even feel as though I have a home.
I never thought I would lose this place.
Carrying a phone that does not allow me internet access, pushing a cart full of belongings, I trudge across the slippery road in the darkness and the rain. Trying to find a corner on the streets where I can stay. I don’t have the capacity to understand this epidemic; or worry about whether I have enough masks or hand sanitizer. How will I know what tomorrow has in store for me? I do not need passersby or volunteers to show their insincere charity. I only have the strength to care for myself tonight.
Then I realize… I owe this place. Compared to the society in front of my eyes today, I feel like I owe yesterday’s McDonald’s a “thank you”!
Source : Stand News #Apr1
#subaltern #McDonalds