I was standing in the red light forest. Coming down, smoking cigarettes. It wasn't as magical as it seemed when we had first arrived, days ago. Surreal, compared to the events of the night before; there was litter on the ground, and kids with vacant yet accusing stares hid behind dark limbs. 

Yesterday, it was clean and filled with naive energy. Now there was litter. "Do you mind if I approach you naked?" A man asked from behind this oversized palm leaf. Too tired to react, no one said a word as he walked closer. "Do you mind if I remove my leaf?" Someone finally said no, and the man put his leaf away, strangely relieved. 

We stand there disappointed, listening to his tales of arrest. He was thrown out for nudity twice "so far."  Giving him a cigarette, he walked away. He wanted a smoke, and we heard about his weekend. I really wish he would've just asked for the cigarette & kept his leaf on. The next morning there was the man, pants around his ankles, passed out across an orange security fence. The poor old guy had on pants... he was probably just trying to take a piss, and they were carrying him into a vehicle to take him outside the gates.

 - kristen ef