My Street

 Not the street I live on but one I chose as part of a photography assignment.  When given the assignment I didn't realize that this would become the street I walk down most often to go from home to anywhere else.  At the time I just saw it as an excellent representation of a neighborhood in transition.  We were asked to provide an explanatory text along with these photos and that text appears after.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

Our daily lives can be hectic, eventful or ordinary filled with mundane chores, joyous times with friends and relaxing moments with loved ones.  But there are times when the tide of history calls for our attention.  Unfortunately we often do not hear that call or we set it aside to be answered another day and then forget to return it.  Or we simply ignore the call completely.  It is easy to wander the streets of our lives and only notice what is on the surface; the markets, the playgrounds, the traffic that gets in our way as we rush off to work or school or the gym.  But underneath the stream of daily life is another world, one that is populated with people on the verge.  There is the homeless person wondering if he will eat tonight, the Christian, Muslim, or Jew hoping to pray in peace, the illegal immigrant fearing deportation, the homosexual awaiting execution.  In Uganda, Syria, Bosnia, Somalia, and yes, in Europe and America too, this world exists filled with people hoping ‘they’ will not come for them tonight.  We do not know if ‘they’ will ever come for us, and we should not sit idly by and watch as ‘they’ come for others.