Susan LaffertyStorm. Sometimes it comes out of nowhere. Fierce. Sudden. Unpredictable.
The recent tornado in Tennessee roared through. In the middle of the night. Unexpected. Devastating.
Today COVID19 continues spreading across the globe at a rapid pace. Insidious. Unsettling. Unknown.
And traveling along under the radar, another kind of storm. Often unspoken. Filtering through conversations and across the airwaves.
Fear.
The urban forum. A gathering of the nations. We explore cities together. Examining them from various angles and worldviews.
One particular presentation leads us to unmapped neighborhoods. Unnamed places. In the depths of an urban slum.
Pushing out from the edge of a global city.
Streets and paths. Crossroads. Unmarked. Yet densely populated. With living, breathing communities.
We dodge auto rickshaws and taxis and goats, crossing a main road. Ten years ago in India.
Our guide asks if we can go to the red light district and pray. Saying, “Be ready. The spiritual battle is intense.”
We step around the corner, into a lane. And I see them. Women in front of narrow doorways on a broken street. Some just sitting. Staring.
Others take care of daily tasks—cooking rice, washing clothes, feeding children.
Ordinary things.
