Feeding The Birds

(Unedited)

I walked out the CVS in Harvard Square with a bottle of Kombucha in one hand and bag of dark chocolate truffles in the other. An old woman was sitting on a bucket underneath a light pole as I exit. She had on multiple layers. Both clothes and some blankets. I could imagine an old tree in place of the light pole. There was probably one in its place before the area was “developed”.

She has a small folded cardboard sign that sits on the brick sidewalk, “Have Empathy”. Is it a question or a command? I look to my left and there are bread crumbs scattered all over the ground. She must be feeding the birds… I notice the saturated colors. The almost yellow bread crumbs in sharp contrast with the red brick and little shiny black birds in bliss. They are just eating away.

Remembering, I saw her sign yesterday in the same place but she was not there. When I read the sign the day before, I read it with disgust!

I take a few steps to the left as I exit the store. By chance we briefly make eye contact while I’m in stride. She smiles as if she knows me. Her eyes stretch and her cheeks rise. Wow! Her smile touched me. What a beautiful smile.

I begin to hustle back to work. “What if she is you?!” The thought breaks my stride. ‘What?’ “She is you!” I stop walking completely. I reach in my pocket and sort through the cash and pull out two single dollar bills.

I walk back to her nest underneath the light pole. Extending my hand with the cash. Attempting to put it in her cup. She takes the money from my hand instead and puts it in her pocket. I smile while giving my offering. She smiles back but she doesn’t “see me” the same way she did when I first walked by her.

I walk back to work with her initial smile engraved in my heart.