Wednesday Morning 8 AM

Steaming coffee mugShe leaned wearily against the table in front of the college class, one arm on the podium where her lecture outline dozed, the attendance sheet a thin blanket over her notes. The room settled, notebooks snapped open, and pens rested easily in young hands, skateboards flipped and stashed under desk chairs, backpacks collapsed on the floor. Continue reading

Shift into Gear

Tiny dandelion growing thru cracked sidewalk“What goes around, comes around, again and again and again,” Sharlie muttered, shuffling her feet – along with all her fellow shift workers at Widgetties Inc — over the cracks and buckles in the sidewalk that led up to the factory’s tall, iron double doors. Her steel-toed boots were worn, soles held to uppers with fraying duct tape. “Uh-huh, Baby needs a new pair of shoes, but first she needs a different, better job.”  Continue reading