Photo by Alexis Rhone Fancher
she’s a sad little puddle of misery
on the sidewalk outside the bar.
shocking to see how much she’s
deteriorated in only a week.
she gums her words,
the always sad litany of her
always sad life and,
as always,
I give her $1.
I should go out after dark more often.bring more money. but ever since my stepdaughterstarted stealing mycash, I stopped carrying any.should I call social services? I ask. I take out my iphone.no. they won’t come. you gotta be on the street forthirty days beforethey’ll come git you.
thirty days is a long time to be homeless,destitute, puddled, distraught.I’m just tryin’ta git me sumthin’ ta eat, a place ta sleep,it’s been so hard,so hard, she says.I reach into my wallet.give her all I have.
she follows me down the neon street,
nose running, eyes bright,
thanking me over and over.
I can’t get away fast enough.
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© 2009
Well-written Alexis. I was right there with you! This is one of my favorites that you have done…so full of humanity!
I meet a lady in the Trader Joes parking lot in Palmdale who I relate to in a similiar way.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
I loved that poem when you read it and love it even more when I could read and savor your words.
Your such a talent.
jackie
LISA, NICE BLOG YOU, I LOVE THE ARTWORK! THANKS FOR STOPPING BY MY BLOG. I WILL BE OUT ALL WEEKEND AT BIKE SHOW (MOTORCYCLE SHOW) SELLING MY ART AND LASER ENGRAVED GIFTS. SO I WILL STOP BACK IN ON SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY MORNING TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS NEXT!
Gorgeous work Alexis and love your photography too!! –LK 🙂
Love this. Am just wrapping up a short story dealing with an experience I had with a homeless man. You really captured it for me. Right into my heart You dove.
Thank You and Namaste. 🙂
Alexis,
How well you were able to communicate so much with so few words.
Love you
I was just in San Francisco, staying in a trendy boutique hotel in Union Square with an Ikea meets Japan fun feeling. There was a Cold Stone Creamery. One night I decided to get ice cream. In my short trip, two homeless people stopped me. One a woman wrapped in a blanket. The other a man sitting at the curb. I gave each on a dollar and went in to buy my $3.50 scoop of ice cream. Eating it, it struck me that my priorities were out of whack–that I should have spent more on the people in need than I did on icecream.
When I walked out, the man was still sitting there. I gave him $5.00 and I could see from his reaction that he was surprised. The woman was gone so I couldn’t right that wrong. Next time . . .
And in today’s troubled economy, you know thre will be a next time.
So beautifully written, so sad and so very true
i wonder how she got there….and where she’ll go….