Mental Health

by Mary Gregorio

Crusty, rugged senior with sharp eyes and rich brown skin sits down and begins to tell the stories of his life to the young helpers who dole out his medications in strict routine. Sharp eyes search the faces to diagnose the believers while he recounts the days, back then and even now, of his civil rights struggle. A listener murmurs, "he makes it all sound like it really happened." Who among this group, that he handles so well, will hear his truth and know the value of his life? He reaches deep into a tattered pants pocket saying, "I have a piece of paper that will explain it all." He smooths the paper out on the table and hands it over, but he keeps the explanation to himself.

6S

Mary Gregorio is almost always a reader of 6S.