Little punk dog in a crowd

Lima is almost always a bustling place - during the day, people are going about their business; off to work, to play, to school, to go shopping, and the streets are quite crowded. In the evening, it's a bustling place, too. Every one's running home from work, picking up the kids from school, leaving work and going to class, out to eat, to the store after work, maybe to visit someone after work, or on to an evening job. The streets are always filled with cars, the sidewalks are always crowded and, in places it is elbow to elbow, and the steady stream of humanity literally carries one along with it.

Today, Celeste and I went to the post office on Petit Thouars Street. It's a bit of a walk, and the sidewalks were filled with people hustling along to wherever they were going. Celeste is such a punk; she is dazzled by all the feet and legs passing her and coming towards her; skirts swishing past; handbags, grocery bags, briefcases passing her at eye level. Celeste is unable to resist a bag as it passes. She has to try to get a sniff of whatever might be inside it...could be a sandwich? Hems on long skirts are also interesting. She tries to catch a bit of one between her teeth, just (I think) to see what it's made of. Poncho fringe is an attraction for her, too. What could it be? Why is it always floating just out of reach? Hmmmm...maybe with just a little jump up, she could catch hold of it...

But with so many people coming from behind, crossing in front of her, heading straight for her, and dogs and children and cars and their exhaust, body odors, and - whoops, the smell of perfume, who was that?! a food stand - YUM! hey, who just had gas? who peed on that tree?...a punky little dog's head gets to whirling around to take in everything...she was over whelmed and had to take a time out on the street corner.

Punk dog. Punk. I remember that word from my childhood. That was my mother's word for "kids" sometimes. We were all punks at one time or another, and not the pink mohawk, ripped jeans kind of punk. We were just punks. Sometimes punkins if we had an owie, but mostly just punks.