Friday, June 17, 2011

At a crossroads

One night, I was walking along a stretch of Drake Street this winter. It is a dark street, but the shortest distance to Choices on Richards and I was hungry.

I stood waiting for the light to change as a figure approached and spoke to me from the darkness. He took me by surprise and I stepped back guarded. “Tell me something, Mister,” he said with a South Asian accent. “Why are people so mean?”

I expected him to ask for change. I answered because I could feel his pain.

“Well maybe it’s because we’ve forgotten how to love each other,” I said.

The figure continued across the crosswalk, then turned around and stopped.

“That’s the most fucked up thing I’ve ever heard.”