bag-head

Bag-head lives in various houses and street corners in our neighborhood. Though we've asked numerous neighbors, none seem to know her name and everyone tries to stand clear when she walks by. So, to us, she is bag-head. We've often seen her wearing white plastic grocery bags tied strategically on either side of her head creating a hat/ windsock as she walks along. She wanders up and down our street at various times of day and night talking, sometimes jibberish, sometimes sentences. 'did-IT' is a common phrase for her, said quickly and in repetition. We can also always decipher the words 'white people,' in her sentences if we are in close proximity.

James and I have taken particular interest in her. We've watched her since we've moved in and have found that she generally doesn't want to engage with anyone directly, but she also doesn't want to be alone. She doesn't move away from us if she is walking and we cross paths, but she doesn't often make eye contact either. It is on a rare occasion that we interact with her directly and I'm always amazed at how clear her eyes are and how focused she seems.

Early in our lives here, James was standing at the front window one morning, no shirt on, cup of coffee in hand, looking out at the world. Bag-head wandered by never looking directly at him as she passed the window, she said loudly, 'Naked white man looking at me,' and continued on her journey.

She has a name and a history, but I wonder if anyone knows it. I wonder if we'll have the opportunity to learn more about her. I hope so.