a-rabs

i arrived in baltimore april 20th.  it was a week after friday the 13th.  i was walking with gaia + nanook in sowebo late friday night going to a local chinese take out since i hadn't eaten all day.  it'd been a long day of flying, almost missing flights, and so on.  i was stressed about what lay ahead and excited at the same time.  as we were walking and talking i saw coming up a neighborhood street, illuminated by street lights, a young black woman riding a white horse.  there were 3 black guys walking with her.  the image was surreal and struck me deeply.

since this is martha cooper's neighborhood and she knows everyone in it from doing a street photography project there for the past 5 or more years, i had her take me to the stables.  there i learned about baltimore's tradition of "a-rabing" or black men walking beside horse drawn carts from which they sell produce + fresh fruit, peanuts and whatever.  i vaguely remember as a kid seeing that in my grandmother's neighborhood.  anyway, it's unusual for me to see horses in the context of the city.  i'm used to navajo people herding sheep and cows by horseback.  i'm not used to seeing young black girls ride them down city streets at night.  thank you baltimore for beauty when it's least expected.