People

Yesterday coming back from my walk, I saw a boy, or rather, young man, walking in front of the neighbor's yard. I thought he was just walking, but, he stopped. When the many dogs there started barking at him, he stopped. I watched him, fascinated. I thought perhaps he was a friend of the neighbors, and he was just leaving. He suddenly yelled "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" at the dogs and continued walking, across the street. [The house is on the corner of the two roads]. I watched as he walked, slouching, hands in his pockets, a sort of wide-eyed glare on his face. He stopped on the other side of the road and turned around. Perhaps he noticed me watching him, or perhaps there was something else. But for whatever reason, he looked at me. Our eyes met, his hair dangling in front of his face. I cock my head to the side, a questioning look on my face. He breaks the eye contact, and starts to walk back across the road to where he was, still slouched, hands in pockets, dark hair in front of face. I continue walking and go home.

There were so many things I wanted to ask him. What was he doing there? Was he afraid of the dogs and trying to prove something to himself? Why was he afraid of the dogs? Why now, to face it? What happened? Why wasn't he in school, he looked like he should be in grade eleven or twelve. Why haven't I seen him before, if he's from the neighborhood? If he's not from the neighborhood what's he doing here? What was it I saw flash in his eyes before he looked away?

This got me thinking, everyone has a past, a history. A present. Everyone has a life.
How many people do we see on the street, every day? In the store? At school? What do we really know? What goes on in their personal life, their hidden world? What made them who they are? Why are they here? How many people bother to try to see, to wonder? How many people see them as something other than a random NPC?

To the homeless man on the street corner, why are you here? What happened to put you here? What happened to blind you in one eye? Where is your family - did something happen? Where did you find your dog? How do you feel, living this life? What are you here for? What are your hopes, dreams, ambitions... do you sleep soundly at night or are you plagued by nightmares? Have you ever been in love? What were you like as a child? A teenager? What's a talent you have, unique to you? How did you fall this far?

To the child with the red sweater that's too big... why are you alone? Where's your mother? Your father? How did you come into this world? What - who - do you care about? Are you lost? What's in your little backpack? Schoolwork, a toy? Are you on your way home from school? Are you sick? Why couldn't your parents pick you up?

Oh, laughing couple, holding hands, walking through the mall, how did you meet? How did you become so happy? Did you just connect immediatly, or was it slow, gradually growing love? What bugs you about eachother? Have you been together for a long time, or is this new love?

Dear girl so small, standing in the supermarket aisle. I see you pick up food, check the label, and put it back down. I see how skinny you are, I see the bags under your eyes. Why this? What happened to make you so sad? Are you considered a freak? Does anyone know, notice? Are you getting help? What were your dreams? How did this happen?

To the randoms passed every day. To the people that are nobodys, to the people in the stores and on the streets and on the buses and in the forest trails. To the NPCs of this world. To the people that appear normal, that fade to the background. To the people nobody thinks about. I think about you. I wonder. Maybe someday i'll ask you about your life. I'm sure you're a somebody to someone. But to a world where the individual is meaningless, where people are just "the word" and not a person.... you are cared for, whether I know you or not.

You'll never live like common people
You'll never do what common people do
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view, and dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do.
Sing along with the common people, sing along and it might just get you thru'


[Yes, i'm aware that song has nothing to do with what I was saying, but it reminds me of it for some reason]