New York Times, October 24, 2019
LONDON —The 39 people found dead in a refrigerated
truck trailer in southeastern England . . . . 

We  don’t  know  much.  The authorities said they were
Chinese.  Later,  police  said they were from a village in
Vietnam.    Probably    seeking   work   in   factories   or
construction or nail salons in Britain.

We  don’t  know  much but I can imagine: Polyester and
cotton shirts. Lipstick in a back pocket, a wallet, creased
photos,  cigarettes.  Long hair and short, bristles trailing
across a chin, blemished skin or  smooth cheeks curving
to dip around silent open lips.

We   don’t   know   if  one man  told his wife that   money
would  arrive  soon.  Or  if one woman thought about the
smell    of   her  baby’s   hair  or  if  anyone   remembered
laughter spilling like water from a glass.

Image: Robson Hatsukami Morgan robsonhmorgan, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.