Places and People

I walked down to the area where the vendors were located from a sidewalk high above the flea market. Items for sale were scattered among the different tents, tables and blankets. Buyers, sellers and on-lookers mingled, talked and examined used items. Items which were no longer useful to one person were just what the other one was looking for. It was a nice cool day, overcast, a typical winter day in a Eagle Pass. I have visited many flea markets, each one with its on magical interaction of people. So many different people... old, young, poor, not so poor,...everyone there for a reason. Maybe to buy something they can't afford new, something unusual, something small, a collectible, or the ever affordable imported electronic gadget.

There is always something to look at, something to remember, something to take with you. A bargain, a memory or a photograph.

I walked away with this photo that day. I will print and frame it one day. It will hang on a wall with my other favorite photos.

Old man, old man, how have the years come to pass? What have your eyes seen? Which bridges have you crossed? What plans did you make? Which decades do you remember best? What do you carry in your heart?

We never spoke. He was an impressive figure. Standing straight. His head held high, displaying his wears for all prospective customers to inspect. A man still working at providing for himself, his family. Undefeated by the never ending struggle to exist, survive, to be autonomous.

I want to have those same qualities when I reach the eve of my life time. I want to stand tall, head high, eyes focused on tomorrow but aware of today and proud of the past.

He walked away, searching for a better spot, for more people, for a willing buyer. Somewhere there would be someone looking for what he was selling. Flea markets, a miniature model of our economic system and an example of our social dependence on each other.