Sharp gray wind whips down the street, plucking a pristine flower petal from its place, tossing it high into the air, leaving it to land forgotten next to a gutter. The grates are rusted and red, encased in cracking concrete crumbling where it meets the pavement. On the sidewalk a single leaf lays broken on the ground watching with sadness as the light pink petal flutters to a stop on the ground. Across the street a small garden is boxed in by a new metal fence. Two trees tower over manicured grass and carefully shaped bushes. Their emerald canopies cascade shadows over a bed of pristine pink flowers nestled next to a wooden table. The wind twirls and plays, and just like all the people who travel down the sidewalk, it pays no attention to the little yellow leaf bleached from the sun. To them It doesn't matter how or why the little leaf was torn from its branch and left to rot on the ground, it is just a passing observation forgotten before they turn the corner. Too tired to move, it gazes at the sky and watches the fluffy white clouds half heartedly taunt the wind as they lazaly float by. Days or maybe years passed by, time floating like the clouds, it's hard to tell when you're laying on the ground with no company. Long after the petal had been whisked away once more by the wind, a white bird landed on the sidewalk and silently asked the leaf why it was not in the garden. Who would have thought a bird would help a leaf. It came by everyday to check on the leaf, creating a plan. Slowly green started to fill the vacant yellow with life. Everyone has a different opinion about birds. Some only like the flashy peacocks or the Swans, others find their beauty misleading, a facade. Some only like the small birds and their sweet songs, and some only like the big ones with giant talons and strong beaks. Everyone has their own opinions, no one can ever seem to agree. The little leaf liked the one that was going to bring him back to the garden and the life it knew. The one that scooped it up in its beak and took flight, creating its own wind pattern pushing them towards the lush green garden, the one that made it possible to go home.
Author’s comments:
Hi my name is Anna! I wrote "The Evicted Leaf" because I wanted to show how eviction leads to poverty but how there are systems in place that help combat poverty.
The leaf has been evicted
The Petal is someone else who was evicted, had a steady income and then lost their job or had an accident and were thrusted into debt despite being formerly secure.
The gutter and grate represent poverty and everything that accompanies it, the different crack representing something different; addiction, depression, health problems.
The wind is the tragedy or catalyst for entering poverty and the media paying no attention.
The people passing by are the uneducated masses not realizing something is wrong.
The birds represent all of the charities and programs that help people change their stories, and represents that kindness can come from unexpected places.
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