I shove my hands down deeper inside my coat
and pull them close to my body for protection
not from the cold so much as from the scrutiny.
I feel their eyes peering down on me
judging me
deciding who I am without knowing me.
I can’t see them
I don’t look
but I know they are there
their windows are above me.
The windows to their cozy little apartments in their cozy little lives
tucked away
from the cold
from the loneliness
looking down on me.
Trash in the alley.
This week’s photo: © Dale Rogerson
Friday Fictioneers is a weekly 100 word writing challenge inspired by a picture prompt. Click here to read other stories.
The Day After 
I liked the line “not from the cold so much as scrutiny”
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Thank you Neil.
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Dear Dawn,
I could feel the scrutiny. Well penned.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle.
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Excellent Dawn, I could feel their anger as well as their shame.
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Thanks Iain
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Great take. Why do they think the narrator is trash?
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They don’t, really. He’s a little paranoid.
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He needs to get out of the alley.
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Right? lol
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Right! 🙂
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Very evocative, Dawn!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank you
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How easy we seem to judge these days. Great reminder!
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Thank you
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Wonderful mood here, and a very sad story. Trash in the alley. Perfect title, perfect ending.
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Thank you
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Brilliant, I love it.
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Thank you
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A gut wrenching story. The weather sets the tone — cold.
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Thank you
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Nice response to the challenge. I can feel the two kinds of cold, two kinds of trash. This is a sad woman.
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Thank you
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Brilliant piece, Dawn. That last line is heartbreaking.
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Thanks Sylvia.
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I felt the character’s loneliness and despair. A very evocative piece, Dawn.
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Thank you Brenda.
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Very well done, Dawn. I too like the “not from the cold so much as from the scrutiny” Says it all right there.
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Thanks Dale. Great pic…the trash bag was my inspiration. 😉
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Thank you, Dawn. I originally asked Rochelle if she wanted me to crop it out as I feared there would be bodies galore but we decided to risk it 😉
I like where you took it.
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We’re all guilty of unfair judgements at times. I can feel eyes on me!
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❤
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Those who live comfortably tend to look down upon at less privileged. Shame is on them.
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Thank you
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Trash’s point of view!
Cleverly penned. It can refer to the garbage-bag on the street or the homeless man walking…
Full justice to the photo-prompt, Dawn!
Out Of Sight & Out Of This World – Anita
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Thanks Anita.
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This is so good on so many levels. Brilliant, Dawn.
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Thank you
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Well done! Thank you for sharing. Very emotional.
Cheers,
Ronda
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Thank you.
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It’s a shame some people blame the homeless for their condition when it could be for any number of reasons. It could happen to anyone. There’s a big lack of empathy. A good story. —- Suzanne
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Thanks Suzanne.
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A sad reality to a growing number every day.. very well written.
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Thank you Violet
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I suspect that it is easy to be paranoid when living on the street,
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You are probably right, Michael.
Thanks for stopping by!
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This is especially heartbreaking for the truth in this fiction. “I shove my hands down deeper inside my coat and pull them close to my body for protection not from the cold so much as from the scrutiny.” This is so beautiful!
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Thanks Dawn, that is kind of you to say.
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You capture the feeling of being watched so well. The narrator feels looked down upon, even if they aren’t and you do that brilliantly
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Thank you Lynn.
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My pleasure 🙂
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