Providence Bedroom Views

A typical Providence backyard, that has seen too many years of renters and not enough ownership participation, is the view that I wake up to each morning. Normally the old aluminum door to the back of the house is left unchecked, to sway noisily in the wind, but for the first time in a long time it has been secured closed. I see a dented trash barrel tipped over on its sides collecting shallow pools of water so that in a few weeks, and with some slightly warmer weather, hoards of mosquitoes will settle here and claim it as their breeding ground. One of the trash barrels closest to the house, is curiously flipped completely upside-down as if in an effort to keep the lot tidy and stop the pools of water from forming. However it seems this endeavor proved too much hassle as the rest of the area remains neglected.

An old wheelchair also sits behind the house, next to the flipped barrel, halfway folded as if it were about to be tucked away in an appropriate place, but evidence suggests that this place was never found. Word is that the chairs owner had lived at the residence for over thirty years and was forced to move into a nursing home against her will due to dementia and other elderly ailments. I heard she died less than a week after being evicted. I can't imagine the pain and suffering associated with being forcibly removed from the place you have chosen to live your life, only to have it ripped from your grasp at the end of it all, especially while dealing with the confusion brought on by her illness.