A Man Trudges

A man trudges down a road, a large, heavy sack across his back, filled with his accumulated possessions. As he shambles along, the weight on his back becomes increasingly burdensome and he has to periodically shift his weight to redistribute the load, as first his shoulder and then his low back begin to ache. Shifting the load relieves the aches for a while, but after some time another ache develops, this time his knee, and he has to shift again. As the contents of the bag shift rhythmically back and forth over time, the handle of a pan, pulling the fabric tight, rubs against the cloth, finally wearing a hole through the bag and poking out. His hip starts to hurt.

 

As he waddles along, the tear in the bag begins to enlarge, and in order to keep the pot and other belongings from falling out, the man bends farther forward. As he shifts to relieve the aches he is acutely aware of the need to keep the hole in the bag facing upright so that the contents don't spill out. He begins to reach back with one arm, tugging at the bag to hold the tear tight. At some point during the walk his pants begin to slip down and he has to take the hand and pull his waist up while continuing to shuffle along, constantly shifting his load to avoid physical discomfort and trying to keep the contents in the bag. 

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Illustration by Sonya Sombrueil