52. Tattoo girl

She did it to keep people away. The staring was a surprise and something she had learned to deal with. She was expert at averting her eyes and as a result found it hard to connect with anyone. The people she wished to let in took her at face value and that led to a sad, insular, loneliness. It was a shame because she was soft and endearing.

51. Apartment terrace

Their life seemed dreamy, full of sparkle and shine. It was so different from hers, which felt drab and melancholy in comparison. She watched their dinner parties, their little arguments that always ended in romantic bedroom escapades. She became the ultimate voyeur, though to her it was more like becoming obsessed with a TV soap. Then one day their flame spluttered and it became ugly. She never knew that they started to watch and dream of her mundane life, because she had stopped watching them long ago.

50. Bus Stop

He wanted to talk to her desperately. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen her, just the first time he had a clear unchallenged view. She was clueless of course, but that only added fuel to the unrequited romance he conjured in his mind. He would never talk to her, just imagine for years what it would be like. Then the bus arrived and it wasn’t his.

49. Traffic

His legs stuck to the vinyl seats slicked in sweat even though it was barely midday. His driver’s side arm was already sun burnt and coated in the dust of the city. But it felt normal to him. The rusted out hulk of brick canyons was home and he had no problem being shoved down its valleys on his never-ending route. It was the cacophony of bleating horns that bothered him. So he shoved his ear buds in tighter to block it out.

48. Windows

It was home. The village could see whatever he was doing in that concrete square. Mama had reminded him frequently of this fact. Kicking around an old ball or pressing against a girl into the shadows of the night, he knew one day it would be him looking down to spy on his own kid. That’s just how it went around here, he’d never leave the block.

47. Sao Paulo

He made huge efforts to beautify as he saw fit. Vertical slabs were the canvas that he attacked with every intricacy he was capable of. Everyone else took it for granted and just walked by clueless to the unconscious absorption that took place. Soon their city would be slathered in the glory of his colours and they would take all the credit.

46. Nun

It was the only way she could get close to God. She had flown in dreams but this was different. Not only could she practically see and touch Him, she had the energy of many people on the plane unknowingly praying along with her. The unholy disgrace was having her luggage lost.

45. T&A

She was in her own world with everyone else on the outside. Twirling with abandon released her body so her mind could do the work. She had her best thoughts like this. To relate it to others, it was like washing the dishes while zoning out, but just wearing your panties.

44. Denise on couch

She thought long and hard about her next move. The last one was a failure, even she could admit that. But to chalk it up to experience and move forward was easier said than done. The road looked rough and scarred so she sidestepped and turned elegantly as needed. It became less of an issue just what she was heading toward once she decided to dance toward it.

43. Ballet Legs

It was in her soul. Just watching, he could see that. He kept silent this time even though she was aware of his presence. She became a different person when she put them on, becoming a player on her own stage. He allowed that. Then he suggested she keep them on for the night. He wanted a piece of her soul.

42. Denise in elevator

She didn’t have to answer him anymore. When she left it wasn’t confrontational, she just knew she would go, and the timing was perfect. Her heart knew there was more, but it was her intuition that truly led her places. That contentment let her cruise through anything the universe threw her way.

41. Mexico Visa

He had no choice, he had to go. The issue was all consuming, pressing into a part of his being he never even knew existed. He wasn’t sure what he’d find when he arrived but that was almost irrelevant. The adventure of the trip would be part of the experience. The arrival, getting to the other side, was more than a destination. It was his ticket to the future.

40. Saltless Man

His mother always said he had “get up and go”. She was right, but he had to be shepherded along in the right manner by the right people for it to really work. Without that his talent was for naught. It wasn’t for lack of motivation, he was not a saltless man. He just wanted to get to the mall first.

39. Soostalan 2 Umbrella

He tried his best to offset the melancholy that drenched his everyday life. Though he had been labeled the class clown it had become increasingly difficult to pull off as an adult. So he lived bounded by these dichotomous states but perpetually felt closer to what he really was. He considered the art of balance and decided to become a circus performer.

38. Soostalan 1

It wasn’t that he had given up, it was an extension of who he truly was. He just wanted folks to leave him alone and to be ready to run if necessary. The problem was when he spoke he was magnetic and people were engaged regardless. He couldn’t run and felt compelled to accept every dinner invitation.