The Old Woman in the Night

 The Old Woman in the Night and Insomnia

I'm awakened at 4:30 in the morning by the sound of a lone vocalist singing into the nighttime cityscape. I've gotten accustomed to being awakened in the middle of the night in Mexico City's Historic Center by store alarms, ambulance sirens, motorcycle growls, and drunken shouts, but I've never heard this surreal symphony before.

Curious, I get out of bed, stroll over to the window, and open the wooden doors to my balcony to gaze out onto the street. There, I notice a line of people walking toward the Zócalo.

The women are dressed in heavy shawls, and the night is cool. Some people have blankets around them.

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