THE TRUE US continuedโฆ.
By sunset, everyone will be rushing home from different corners of survival. The construction workers will carry the smell of cement, dust, and honest sweat beneath their arms.
The evening matatu is where the perfumes surrender.
That is where the city removes its makeup.
Morning is who we want the world to believe we are.
Evening is who we truly are.
THE TRUE US
I live in one of the busiest, most chaotic cities in the world, yet I have never woken to the song of a bird praising the morning.
Open the thread๐
Then I notice something remarkable.
Inside, chaos has its own fragrance.
The air is thick with body lotions, cheap perfumes, scented oils, and freshly sprayed colognes. Everyone smells pleasant. It is hardly surprising; nowadays you can refill a bottle of perfumeโฆ
filled by the tithes of the very prostitutes who make up his congregation at the cityโs famous church.
โPraise sin!โ The prostitute whispers again to the pastorโs ears.
โGo and sin moreโ Pastor replies.
The pastor owes the prostitute. The prostitute needs saving, yet the preacher is a sinner too. He is burdened by debt but clings to the hope that next Sunday the offering baskets will be heavierโฆ.,
As he steps closer to the crowded sidewalk, one of the women reaches out, seizes him by the tie, and leans in close enough for only him to hear.
โYesterday,โ she whispers, โyou never paid me for the services I offered.โ
She pauses, her eyes fixed on his.
โNo one is saving you either.โ
โPraise the Lord of the High Heavens!โ
A voice echoes through the cold, rain-soaked streets. It is a pastor, preaching from the Gospel of John to the prostitutes lining the downtown pavements. He believes they are in need of salvation, and perhaps he is rightโฆ.
The rains have come and the streets are turning cold. Downtown, the prostitutes stand strangely calm along the pavements. They are very hot and men have to transact or else the winter will make a killing. Anyway it is a win win situation; lets sin but build the economy. ๐ซด๐
My Round of 32 Predictions:
๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa 0โ1๐จ๐ฆ Canada โ
๐ง๐ท Brazil 2โ1 ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
๐ฉ๐ช Germany 2โ0 ๐ต๐พ Paraguay
๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands* 2โ2 ๐ฒ๐ฆ Morocco
๐จ๐ฎ Ivory Coast 1โ3 ๐ณ๐ด Norway
๐ซ๐ท France 3โ1 ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico 2โ0 ๐ช๐จ Ecuador
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ England 2โ0 ๐จ๐ฉ DR Congo
๐ง๐ช Belgium 1โ2 ๐ธ๐ณ Senegal
๐บ๐ธ USA 0โ2 ๐ง๐ฆ Bosnia
๐ช๐ธ Spain 2โ0 ๐ฆ๐น Austria
๐ต๐น Portugal 1โ1 ๐ญ๐ท Croatia*
๐จ๐ญ Switzerland 1โ1 ๐ฉ๐ฟ Algeria*
๐ฆ๐บ Australia 1โ2 ๐ช๐ฌ Egypt
๐ฆ๐ท Argentina 1โ0 ๐จ๐ป Cape Verde
๐จ๐ด Colombia 2โ1 ๐ฌ๐ญ Ghana
* Team who advance to the next ROUND
What are your predictions?