Their Home

We walked below the Michigan Avenue bridge and found flocks of pigeons trying to escape the rain. The cement slabs were covered in bird droppings and feathers. If you've ever been around bird flocks you know the smell that permeated the air. At the very end of the block, where the distance from the ground to the bridge was the shortest, was the home of three men and a women. I don't know how long they've lived there but it has been long enough to make it their own.

Daniella and Thomas shared a bed made of large sheet of cardboard. Daniella is pregnant. I'm not sure how far along she is but I'm guessing about five or six months. Next to their bedroom was another large sheet of cardboard that Dave and Jermaine shared. Their bedroom had two foot high walls made of cardboard to help protect them from the wind and birds. They were kind enough to let us join them in their home, long enough to share some lunch and pray with them. They didn't share much of their story other than their desire to get off the streets. Dave didn't seem to care too much if he got off the streets he just wanted to have peace.

I walked away wondering more about their story. How would Daniella be able to take care of her child? Will she end up delivering the baby there in the home under the bridge. As we got closer to the intersection the light from the street helped me see more clearly the effects of living among birds. My mind immediately thought, "That is disgusting!" And in the same breath I reminded myself I just called these friendly peoples' home disgusting.

It might not look like a house, but it is a home...their home.