Friday, March 22, 2019

Friday afternoon at the mall: In the food court, a shabby-looking man carrying an armful of children's books shuffles from table to table. He shows the people at each the front of the top book then the back, which bears his picture, perhaps taken in better days. A few people buy a book. He autographs it, then, often, after an exchange of subtle gestures with a parent, ceremoniously presents it to a child. In the produce aisle at the grocery store, a baby abruptly sits on my feet and plays with a fallen pomela. I gently slide my feet out from under her and continue shopping. At the bus stop outside, someone has taped a flyer about a lost dog to the sidewalk. Maybe they figure that the people now known as "cell-phone zombies" will actually see it there.