Yesterday

Yesterday in the freezing wind I walked by the bus stop and there was a woman with plastic bags sitting on the empty storefront stoop with her eyes closed. She was seated with he legs apart and her right palm resting on her thigh facing up. She appeared to be asleep and extremely vulnerable. How could she sleep through this agonizing wind? Was she overdosing? Something didn't feel right. I kept walking wondering about her. A police officer drove into the parking lot in front of me and I walked over to his car. He opened the window. This might be nothing, I said, but there's a woman asleep over there at the bus stop and I can't imagine anyone sleeping though this brutal wind and cold. Okay, we'll check it out. And they did.
Today I walked by that same spot and all of the woman's bags were still there with contents strewn about; a pair of black jeans, a beach towel, a gallon of milk on its side leaking into a puddle, unopened lipstick. Wherever she is I hope she'll be okay.