Rain falls on St. Catherine tonight. But if it was snow, would the morphine addict who has been roaming the area for the past two months, scrounging for change and cups of coffee, still be roaring out at the top of her lungs, stopping traffic and shrieking at the honking drivers? Would she still be screaming at us, calling us 'Ghosts' with such contempt and disdain? And when she got us one-on-one, would she still politely ask us for change?
If the city was blanketed in snow, would the dealers still follow me outside as I leave the metro, hounding me for half a block to buy some hash or crack from them? Would the drunk man with the hockey stick still fire crumpled up beer cans at pedestrians while howling at the moon? Would the fattish, greyed man who stands outside the Italian restaurant all day, with a hat on his head and a hat in his hand, take his two-hatted act inside?
If it wasn't raining, but snow was billowing down on St. Catherine, would people still sleep on the street or in stairwells under bloody blankets? Would they still pull knives on people after they rob them, but stubbornly stick around and talk with them -- because maybe they just wanted someone to talk to -- until the police arrive and detain them?
I guess I'll know when it happens.
1 comment:
The down side of city life.
Post a Comment