By Steve Van Allen
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, Earth
Judy cashiers 2 days a week at a Dollar Store, loves the job, the people and it works well with her wheelchair. At the end of a day, she is tired, and so happy the two blocks home are mostly downhill.
She unlocks her door and rolls into her tiny apartment, turns on the one overhead light and says hello to her green budgie.
Judy grabs her one bowl and fills it with off-brand cheerios and the end her milk.
Six months ago it was a no-tell motel, pay by the hour.
She reads her cozy mystery, then goes to bed. She dreams of a time when she could sit outside on cool evenings. A drug deal goes down outside her one window. She sleeps with her Louisville Slugger.
The poor will always be with us…
God, are we stuck with poverty
or is this a challenge?
Resources:
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed in 1990 estimates 42.5 million Americans are disabled.
The US Census Bureau Current Population Survey (CPS), 2024 shows the poverty rate is 11.5%, 37.9 million Americans.