I’m standing close to the entrance of the Glen Park library, waiting for a crowd of school kids to exit.
Off to my left, tucked into the corner of the building and away from the foot traffic, sits an elderly homeless woman I’ve seen before. She’s huddled in an army-green blanket.
To my right stand a mother and very young daughter, also waiting to enter the library. The little girl looks intently at the homeless woman, while her mother stares in the exact opposite direction, in a posture of either distaste or avoidance.
The child tilts her head to the right, and so does the old lady, then the woman tilts hers to the left and so does the toddler. They are doing a mirror dance, and both sport broad grins. This continues for a minute or two, while the mother shifts from one foot to another. She appears to be wishing for time to speed up.
Finally, the path into the library is clear. The mother does not step to the side to push the button that would automatically and easily open the heavy glass door, because it’s too close to the homeless woman. Instead, she chooses to struggle with the door while juggling an armful of books about ready to spill onto the sidewalk. She orders her daughter to get inside, now!
The little girl walks under her mother’s arm and quickly glances over at the homeless lady, who blows her a kiss. The little girl quickly catches it and puts it in her pocket, turning to climb up the stairs and walk into the library.
“You have to be taught…”
Nice, but it would be even better if you reported on what’s delaying the renovation of our wonderful branch library here in the Mission.
Nice. A good palate cleanser after the news of the week