Day 45: On ancient streets.
We walked beside the ruins on the way to the mercado, the ashen air still heavy with the reminder that volcanoes were the volatile and unwelcoming sentries around the village.
On the sidewalks, they were scattered about like dolls. The lame, the blind, the poor. Mysterious in their arrival, disruptions to the cadence of the crowds that walked ancient cobblestone streets in search of riches.
Always alone. Always.
And then, life broke forth. I became the disruption as I stopped and watched the mother and child, pressed so small against the expanse of amarillo. The beggar’s bowl beside her, she focused not on the receiving but on the giving. Her little one enraptured by a plastic jar, they rolled it back and forth in a tender game of catch. There was no one else in that moment.
Just two dolls who knew they were rich in each other.
I found myself wanting to be a doll.
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Shoot like a Girl began as part of the #31days project. You can learn more about the “why” of my story and see all my daily posts here. I’d love to stay in touch with you – be sure to subscribe to my blog and visit my writer’s page to get updates on stories and special projects, including a collaborative that will publish this spring and a book about women who are fighting for change and beauty. Thank you for your encouragement!