TOGETHER WE WALKED

I hadn't slept in two days. I was exhausted, and my Doberman was too. I laid down to sleep, the Doberman next to me. I woke when I heard the Doberman growling - she was growling at a man standing near and looking in our direction. "What do you want?" I asked him. I couldn't understand his answer. He appeared to be tweaking. I told him to keep moving in a way that wasn't nice. He did, but stopped close to the next man that wasn't there when I initially laid down. This time I yelled at him to keep moving in a way that was even more unkind than the first. He did. My Doberman relaxed. I closed my eyes, but could no longer sleep. I checked the time on my phone - I had slept for three hours. My body hurt from the concrete underneath. I studied my clothing - the denim blue jeans and white heavy cotton t shirt were filthy. My body odor was unpleasant. The hair on my head felt greasy. My feet ached from all the walking. I needed to piss, and I wanted to wash my hands and face, and brush my teeth. I looked up and silently thanked God for my life. I brought the Nikon, hanging from around my neck, up and took this photo. I stood, and the Doberman did as I did. I brushed us both off the best I could with my bare hands. I adjusted my backpack and the Doberman's service vest, and together we walked.