sleep deprivation2.0

I was waiting at a stoplight at 5:34 or thereabouts this morning on my way home.

a man was walking towards me. behind him I could see two gray shopping carts, both plastic, both filled to over brimming with plastic bags. they were attached to his torso with rope, and he was slowly tugging them up a hill. he had a hat, what looked like a gray fu-man-chu, and a thin blue sweatshirt; it was about 25 degrees F outside. he went slowly but determinedly and, by the time the light turned green, was bearing right, emitting large and desperate looking clouds of gray vapor from his haggard mouth. I wondered where he could've been walking towards and where he could have been. I wonder how close people are to falling back on this. I wondered who this person was, and what circumstances led to this, what circumstances kept him there, how many of those circumstances have a realistic probability of occurring in my life or the life of someone close to me.

now it's 9:13a and I'm at work, staring at a cup of black coffee and a bland lcd monitor. In 7 hours and 47 minutes, I'll go home, to my parents' house, and sleep. I'll stare at a bland CRT monitor. I'll wonder what it is I'm doing, and I'll attempt to do something productive with my time.

that guy will just be pulling his carts. or digging through trash.

I'll be driving to diners, drinking coffee.

he'll be begging change and trying to stay warm.

I'll be writing code, playing computer games.

he'll be looking for shelter or maybe better clothing.

my point is that I haven't one. things simply are.