Asterisk Monthly: About An Instagram Post [July, 2020]
Writing Prompt: an instagram post by For Africans
Asterisk Project: International Creative Writing
I’ve been in love with this Instagram Account for a while now. According to For Africans they have “visuals of lifestyles in africa curated for africans by africans.” So in July, we wrote about the picture above. All we had was the visual and the location: Cocody, Abidjan — Cote D’Ivoire. Read ( and watch!) what the members of the Asterisk Project wrote about the photo below:
Guilherme Aniceto
Down the street
She walks down the street.
Not sure if she’s a she,
but she walks
down the street.
She, the presence
of an absence,
all female noun, goes down the street.
She, who walks with a purse,
maybe with the blessing
of a curse,
talks to the street.
She walks
and she keeps
beneath her feet
some distance.
An instant passes by
and I can’t help but notice
that down the street
- still not sure if she’s a she,
or he, or preferrably they -
she flies.
Gabriela Prado
In some way, this picture brought me sadness for those who can’t stay in home and for those who can’t choose to protect their families… so my contribuition is a little heavy this time…
The emptiness of the streets resembles the emptiness of the lungs of those who didn’t have the chance to choose to become infected… it’s hard, it’s cruel and it’s unfair. While some complain about having to lock themselves up, others cry for burying a relative, a lover, a father, a mother, a son, a friend. Selfishness fills the void in the streets, resultant of the void of hope that, someday, people will think of others.
Regiane Folter
I see palm trees and houses. I see grass and a blue sky. I see cars coming and going. I see lamps and cables. I see a solar energy system and several antennas. I see buildings, brand new structures and old ones. I see walls that are impeccably painted, others that are just bricks put together. I see flowers blooming. I see a woman in red walking down the street. She’s not coming in my direction — no one is.
I’m stuck here, in this never ending quarantine. I can’t leave the house and no one is coming to visit. Actually, even before all this, no one would come. I’ve been alone for so much time… The pandemic is just an excuse. But there’s no point in thinking about this. It will only make me sad. Instead of guessing the reasons why I’m so lonely, I put my attention in the world outside, a world that I can see through my window. A world that is pretty much the same every day. The same houses and buildings, the same grass and flowers, the same palm trees. People change, but not that much. I never change too.
I’m the same man I have always been, maybe older, or at least that’s what my gray hair says about me. Inside I don’t feel that much has changed. Maybe I’m a bit weaker, more tired than before. But I’m still pretty much the same man that lost everything and everyone. All I have left is this window and this world that I observe as an outsider, since I’m not part of it. Well here I am, getting sad again. Nowadays I can get sad pretty fast. Before, I just felt like that during the night, when I lied in bed and couldn’t sleep because of all the nightmares. But now I can get sad in the morning, while drinking my first cup of coffee. Or watching tv. Or seeing the live painting that my window provides to me.
I just hope the quarantine finishes soon. Because when it does, I’m sure I’ll have the courage to go out and make a dent in this image that is glued in my eyes. I will check out the flowers, maybe climb one of the palm trees, I will say “good morning” to my neighbors, even to the woman in red, if she passes by again. I’m sure of it. I promise.
But today the quarantine is still going on, I’m still sad and everything I have is this window and this view.
Giedrius
July 14, 2020
Monique Leroque
5896 Squirrel Main Street
Siauliai, LT 12548
Monique,
I walk alone through the street and waiting for someone to respond to my cry. My heart is broken and I just can’t deal with the issues. Maybe I’m broken beyond repair. Maybe I’m just too good for this world.. Or bad.. Or average… IDK what to think but maybe you could help me? Please answer to this letter ASAP. Please say something. Anything… I can’t just walk in circles through the palm trees and think about what happened. It wasn’t only my fault. It was both of us. We have issues and we should discuss them like two adults. Please, don’t act like a child again.
Best wishes,
Carl.
Ana Azevedo
Emotional Landscape
Irorun igi ni irorun eiye
The peace of mind of a tree is, equally, that of a bird.
It had just rained and the streets were still wet. While walking down the streets, Luda felt good because he was doing the right thing. Telling her everything would lead to screaming and fighting, yes. But truth was always best, right? And he had so much to say and to be real with himself Aya had all the right to be pissed. Mad. Completely out of her mind. Even though the certain of forgiveness was not guaranteed, Luda was trying to be a good man again. So he’d tell her and hope for the best. Hope for understanding. And if it didn’t happen he’d think about it then. One step at a time. Nice and slow . So today, after the rain he put on his shoes and walked down the streets to Aya’s house. Fear no man but in God we trust.
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