Early Morning Run

1. Homeless people sleeping near a bench, not on it. Not sure why, but maybe they woke up in the middle of the night and said, this bench is too hard, I’m gonna try the concrete.

2. Latinos at the local Seven-Eleven choosing their coffee and sugar dose for the day as they get on with their jobs.

3. White people at the Starbucks reading a newspaper or working on a laptop pretending like they have something important to write about. There are few non-whites there, but mostly white folks—ones who can spare 4 bucks on a gourmet latte of course.

4. African-Americans at the local McDonald’s. They beat me to it, this place has a really awesome breakfast menu with low prices—if you do not mind the calories it’s a wonderful place to get your pancakes on the go as well as a good cup of Joe (minus the talkative barista)

5. Assortments of minorities standing by, waiting for the next bus to take them to their job or maybe to school. For some reason, white folks just do not take the bus too often.

6. White girls running in really short shorts, usually accompanied by a dog. That scares the heck out of me. Not to mention their cool iPods.

7. Truck drivers delivering fresh food to various stores, cafés, and restaurants. I don’t mind them doing their work until they block the streets, sidewalks and alleys, forcing me to cross the street or leap over their truck (if they are under 8 feet high).

8. Security guards getting on with their jobs or coming home from a late shift from a government building or an upscale condo in the Metro area. For a second, I think they’re the cops and run a bit faster.

9. Muslims heading to the local mosque for their morning prayer, after which they head to the Denny’s for the pork-less Grand (I)Slam breakfast.

10. Some random construction worker urinating in public on an SUV that gives him cover from onlookers and street cameras. Is he fighting the power through a symbolic, resistant act, or just needing to pee badly right then?

11. Various government agencies keeping an eye on the Muslims to make sure they are there for prayer and not a planning party. They glance at me, but since most Arabs don’t jog, they figure I don’t fit the profile.