An abandoned shopping cart, the store name nearly obliterated by time and weather, laid on its side in the ditch. A random motorist might notice it, but none stopped to claim it.
Its current owner, watching the rain wash away the daily detritus from its wire frame, would have fought anyone who touched it. He crouched beneath the nearby highway overpass, out of the wind and cold. All his worldly possession piled beside him, wrapped tightly in black plastic bags.
When the sun returned to the sky, as water evaporated back into the clouds, and more rust grew on the metal giving it a rich patina, the plastic bags were returned to the cart and its owner continued on his way.
No direction, and no plans other than to find shelter when it became dark and food when he grew hungry.
The absence of a sound mind was a kindness. Memories of family and friends replaced by a sense of survival, a drive to keep moving. Only, he doesn’t know if it’s towards or away from something.
Trifecta, a weekly one-word prompt, challenges writers to use that word in its third definition form, using no less than 33 words or no more than 333. The week’s prompt is: Absence [noun \ ab-sən(t)s\ ] 3: want, lack
*Trivia: This is my 600th post… now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Thin spiral notebook 
Holy cow, this was gorgeous, Tara. Really moving response to the promp. You paint a really rich picture.
Quick concrit, and only offered because I never see typos on your work, second paragraph “it’s” should be “its” and did you want to pluralize possession?
Loved this. Thanks for linking up.
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Beautiful photo and writing, Tara. I am inclined to agree with you – the lack of a sound mind almost balances out the hopelessness of his situation.
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So much to love about this piece. You’ve captured a moment of beauty in an ugly situation, blending the two perfectly at the very end. Thank you.
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Very amazing piece.
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A day in the life . . . I always wonder where they’re going . . . very well imagined! 😀
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Sad and intense, but lovely. I often think that dementia would be like that, with all the memories washed away and only the present before you.
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Your words…your pictures…stunning.
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This is terrific, Tara. I love the description of the cart; the rain returning to the sky.
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Dark and compelling. Great job Tara!
And congrats on post 600. I hit 500 3 posts ago, didn’t even realize it LOL
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You painted a very vivid picture.
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