First they stigmatized the lepers. The power holding institution of the Middle Ages, the church, believed that leprosy was the result of god’s anger and that only segregation and suffering would lead to the salvation of the leper. Isolation also secured the safety of the rest of the population, those who were accepted as normal…
Chainsaw on tree limb, a mulching truck on the driveway, the rumpus of men shouting instructions and warnings, branches falling from the canopy of an old eucalyptus to the right of my house. My attention runs from the house away from the noise, while I remain inside trapped, unemployed, waiting for calls that never arrive.
During last week, I helped my youngest son pack for college: clothes, bike, passport, and computer. I saw him fold his new sheets, and pack the microwave safe bowls, and his guitar, thrilled with the enthusiasm of a 17 years old who is going away for good. Last Saturday I posted a message on Facebook,…