Zombie Woman
MARY WILKENS UMKC MEDICAL EDUCATION SUPPORT SERVICES
I’m not a zombie! I walk funny ’cause I got a bad hip and a trick knee. My left arm’s limp and… yeah, sometimes I drink. Walkin’ is more like swayin’, but it gets me there. “Here comes Zombie Woman!” I’ve heard that… too many times! I yell back at ‘em! I do. But don’t be afraid. I'm clean. Yeah, clean clothes are what I need right now. That social worker, “Hang on,” she said. Give her some time. She says, “Be confident that your needs will be met.” So, the other night when the moon was up, I seen a woman walking to her car in the near dark. She looked like she knew all about clothes! I put my head up. I walked as straight as I could, but no use. She saw my dang body jerkin’ and she froze before she could get to the car door. I was there, sort of blocking things, but you know, I was tryin’ to ‘get my needs met.’ I wanted to ease her mind, so I said, “Are you afraid?” She sucked in her breath. “No,” she said without breathin’ out. I said, direct-like and confident, “I’m lookin’ for clothes and socks.” She was no help, just surprised. I leaned in to get a closer look, and that woman turned a dead shade of white. She might as well-a called me “Zombie Woman!” No one to help with the simplest thing! That’s when I turned around and left. Disgusted. Maybe tomorrow… will be a better day for hangin’ on.
From the Author: This happened to me. One evening, I was trying to get into my car when a disheveled woman approached me with the very words I quoted above. I decided to tell this story from her point of view.
These kangaroos were painted with watercolors on watercolor paper.
Capri, Italy
ZOYA SIDDIQUI UMKC MEDICAL STUDENT