the silent wittnesses

peekaboo in the heart of the night

We have very little control over our bodies. Involuntary actions plague us. Sometimes these involuntary actions even betray us.

Sneezing loudly in a library is always noticed. Blushing shows embarrassment and nervousness no matter how much we’d like to pretend that everything is ok.

And needing to pee?

That’s super problematic.

In my youth these involuntary physical impulses came to a head with incredible results.

My friends and I used to skateboard.

Well…

We used to run around with skateboards and avoid the cops and rent a cops. Skateboarding was illegal when I was growing up. People hated skateboarding. People hated skateboarders. They hated us so much that some people (not cops) would even chase us. I’m not sure what they would do if the caught us. Would they call the cops? Would they beat us up? We never stuck around to find out.

One such night we were doing powerslides down one of Halifax’s many hills. A k-car nearly hit us as they blindly pulled out from a corner. One look inside rev…