My Encounter with a Homeless Man
What Would You Do?
He's a carpenter. A bricklayer. I gather he can build a house. And now he's asking me in Spanish if he can sleep in my gutter. He kisses me. Kisses me on my cheek. And I kiss him back. I don't know why, but we do. Liquor lightly covers him and I don't mind. I don't understand more than one or two words for every four or five sentences he speaks. And he doesn't disgust me. I see a life behind those eyes. And I wish more than anything I could give him what he needs.
He's wearing my favorite jacket. That could have been me struggling to keep warm. He's wearing my empty backpack. That could have been me without an education.
The words of my friend echo in my head: Don't be afraid to live the life you were blessed with.
I am my brother's keeper.
If a man died on my doorstep tomorrow I wouldn't ignore him. If a man lay on my doorstep starving I wouldn't ignore him. So why is it easy to just let him walk away with $6 and a couple of new things that can't last the rough month ahead?
Published by Anthony Andora
I'm an aspiring comic book writer based in Southern California. View profile
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4 Comments
Post a CommentI would guesstamate that 90% of females that become homeless have been physically abused, by parents, spouses, partners and the stranger that grabbed them and dragged them into the bushes. Then there is the man living in his car near Washington DC, downsized out of a job, finding himself competing with recent graduates for jobs, being turned down for others as "over qualified" and so on.
Would love to encounter a scene where Bill Brewer walks up to one of the latest of people that have joined the ranks of homeless~an Iraqi war vet, and tell them what they deserve. Many homeless vets are upset enough about risking life and limb~oops, some of them did lose limbs~in a foreign land, only to end up without housing, medical care and job when discharged from the US military. And, Mr. Bill, I would suggest approaching homeless people with care, an easily startled vet might flip, due to PTSD symptoms. I also wonder, do people deserve mental illnesses? Females deserve to be raped? Or phyiscally abused?
You're a little harsh there bro. Chill out Billy boi.
I don't know where to start. Should I begin by telling you what a wanker you are? Or how this tripe is so Sanctimonious that I want to puke? You should be ASHAMED of the life you were blessed with. If you didn't EARN what you have, you don't deserve it!