These are the inner secrets of everyday people we ignore on a daily. I am inspired by people I encounter every day and when I look at them I wonder if they feared no rejection or prejudice, what would they say…. Just what is going on in their minds??
THABO (Everyday Person)
It’s dark and the air is especially piercing. I have definitely had better days. I must have been out like a lamp all night. I can feel a cough creeping up my throat as I choke on a tear. I can not cry, I’m not allowed to cry. I wince as I try to get up despite the creaking and cracking of bones, ligaments, and cramping of muscles. There are quite a few things you tend to get accustomed to when you live on a box in the city, being beaten up by a gang of 12-year-old thugs is not one of them.
The pleasant aroma from the bakery violates my sense, so I know dawn is near. I wish my stomach was not more demanding than my lungs. I wish that with one whiff my belly would bulge and I’d be filled. With dawn comes a host of blank ignoring faces. I guess these faces have names and homes and 10-year-old kids who look just like me. 10-year-old kids who are not me.
In the crowd, there is just one face that always stands out though. you don’t know me, you’ve probably never noticed me, but I call you my big brother. See you walk and talk like you’ve got it all figured out – life and all. See I see you even on Sundays with a bounce in your step and a praise in your heart. You just don’t know me. I’m afraid if I say hi, you’ll tell me you don’t have money for me or simply ignore me, my heart would shatter. If only you knew, money can come later.
All I need from you is a hello and a conversation. See you don’t know me, but big bro, you’re all I have.
Ironically My name is a monosyllabic word that means Happiness.
You might not know it you might not see it, but someone looks up to you big bro. You always have something to offer, even when your pockets are cold.
Written by Avela Sidaki
To contribute to Genius Level please email your article on a word document to info@geniuslevels.com
