Day after day on my to and from the metro I pass her by. She is there on the street every time I walk by. Under the blazing sun she sits with no water. During the worst of rain storms she lays down under a blanket or a broken umbrella and tries to protect herself from mother nature. She says nothing, asks for nothing. She has never looked up when I pass, when she is awake I only see a void look upon her face. She appears to be abandoned on the streets of Sao Paulo alone, forgotten, exposed.
I cannot speak to her because I do not know her language. Also, I am still learning about the culture and what is safe to do so I am not sure what I can do for her. But I wonder and ask myself.....
What is her name?
What is her story? How did she end up here on the corner?
Where does she go to the bathroom?
Do her legs and back hurt from sitting/sleeping on the pavement? Or does she just not feel them anymore?
What does she eat?
Is she cold/hot? How can she constantly brave the elements?
Is she ever hurt or attacked? Is she scared?
I think of her every day and look forward to the day when I can stop and speak with her. I hope she is gone when I come back from language school. I hope she finds a safer more humane place to live. But I am not sure she will. In fact some days I wonder if when I walk by she will still be alive. I pray for her and I hope the right person comes along to help her. Right now it is not me, but I see her. I often wish she would look up so I could at least smile at her...but for now all I can do is see her and pray for her.
She reminds me of an old school song by Phil Collins. This song plays in my head as I walk the street where she lives. We are not always able to help everyone but I just hope we can all do our part. And at the very minimum to see those folks who live on our street. Then if we are able, to find a way to reach out to them. I have inserted "Paradise" because it reminds me of her and I don't want to forget her and all the homeless people who have touched my life.
