Invisible

Before her mother died, she said to Jyothi, “It is not safe.  You must hide.  If no one sees you, you don’t exist.” Living on the streets, Jyothi learned to acquire what she needed without being seen.  Abandoned alleyways.  Cardboard houses.  Trash bin meals.   Sitting in a doorway one bright sunny day, loneliness squeezed her chest. Jyothi cried out-loud, “If…

Thursday Doors: A walk in the sun outside Perpignan

The following photos are my contribution to Thursday Doors, a door-lovers group hosted by Norm Frampton. ~~ Two weeks ago, my husband and I went for a nice walk to an equestrian center outside Perpignan proper.  We breathed deep the crisp air and enjoyed the beautiful countryside and the big blue sky.  On our way to the…

Wish Granted

The blur of a man beckoned from outside the glass door. I walked through.  Strings of popcorn, homemade chains, candy canes, and ornaments hung from the sparkling tree in the corner of the room.  I sat on the floor, a little girl, amid the joyful chaos of Christmas day.  After the last bright package was opened, she stood before…

Trapped

I run through the maze of the narrow cobblestone streets and alleyways, hemmed in by stone facades and boarded up store fronts.  With dead ends and wrong turns, how do I find my way out? Terror shivers down my spine. It whispers at my back.  I wake with a start.  Cowering in an abandoned doorway, the fear finds…