On the way to work today

First I saw the mud piles, freshly dug out of the canals following the rains. I saw the crowds of tired people waiting for buses and matatus to take them to work. A man, wrapped in old plastic tarps, was sleeping in the nearby yard. Tall grey buildings competed with violet flowered trees for positioning in the skyline. A whirl of colors from the bus window. Watched the quiet empty market stalls start to reawaken as the first vendors arrived and uncovered their wares. An old woman sat on the curb with piles of egg crates and fruit around her to sell. A nearby woman was taking the first sip of steaming tea. . .