5
street roots
Jan. 6, 2012
My first cold blustery night
By Leo Rhodes
The rain is coming down hard
The wind is blowing
Walking in this kind of weather
The rain feels like pellets hitting my face
The combination of the rain and the cold wind
Numbs my exposed skin
My survival instincts kick in
I start thinking of different places I can sleep
Out of the rain
There’s the doorway, it’s a great cubbyhole
I’ll be tucked away out of the wind and rain
No, wait, a rent-a-cop found me there
He threatened me with calling the cops
And having them arrest me
I thought of other doorways I could go to
But I would need a tarp
I don’t have a tarp
Hell, I don’t even have a blanket
Then I remember
I have a place
I’m inside now
At my place, I put the key inside the door
Hearing the clicking sound as I unlock the door
As I open up the door
The familiar smell of my place
Rushes out to greet me
I go inside and put my backpack
On the floor
Then hang up my coat
I rush to the window that reaches all the way to the floor
I open up the blinds
I stand there watching the raindrops hit the window
Then trickle down
I look beyond that to the trees
Swaying in the wind
And beyond that, the rain hitting
The road and sidewalk
I also notice the rain accumulating in puddles
On sidewalks and the road
Next I go to my bedroom
I stand in the doorway and turn on the light
Staring at my soft warm bed
With a big comforter
Thinking, thinking, thinking
I rush to the closet where I hang my coat
On the top shelf
I grab my blanket
Then I grab my backpack
I place my backpack next to the long window
That reaches to the floor
I lay down, facing the window
Using the backpack for a pillow
I throw the blanket over me
Like I had done many times before
I curled up in my blanket
Watching the rain hit the window
Trickling down
And the trees, swaying in the breeze
Thinking, thinking, thinking.