This is Harry...
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."
Matthew 25:35
If
you've been to this blog before then you know that I have a soft spot
for the homeless. My view is that it can happen to any of us. I
really believe this. I don't think that a homeless person ever
aspired to or thought they would be in the predicament they may find
themselves. But they are. As for myself, if I were unable to earn a
paycheck it would only be a couple weeks before I would be in
financial trouble.
Anyhow,
this is Harry. I saw him on 14th Street just off Union
Square. I'm in NYC for the weekend and was on my way out for dinner
and then a few beers before walking around and taking photos. And as
I passed him on my way to a favorite Thai restaurant I saw him eating
his dinner on the street.
After
dropping a couple bucks in his hat and introducing myself I asked if
I could take his photo. Surprisingly he said “sure.” Not all the
people I ask agree to have their photo taken, later this day two
other guys declined. Anyhow, I told him that I like to hear people's
stories, and that I do this to bring an awareness to the homeless or
semi-homeless.
Harry
told me e was from Kansas City, then had to leave (he declined to
tell me why). He first landed in New Orleans, where he squatted with
a few other people in an abandoned building. New Orleans attracts a
lot of homeless these days, he told me, because ever since Katrina
there are a lot of empty buildings. I told him how I lived in NOLA
quite a few years ago for a short period (mid-1980's) and that I was
actually very near being without a place to call home at the time,
and that it was the first and only time I was truly hungry (and
somewhat scared).
He
then headed up here, to NY where he is sleeping outside a building on
the lower east side. We talked briefly about his safety and he was
concerned, but where he sleeps now is pretty safe, he said. He also
said that he was just going through a rough patch right now, but
he'll be ok. After a bit more talk we shook hands and parted. I went
to a Thai restaurant while Harry ate his dinner on the street. And as
I ate the food didn't taste as good as it usually does. Not that the
restaurant was at fault...I stop here whenever I'm in NYC, and it was
as good as usual. It's just that I couldn't stop thinking about
Harry. I hope he is warm tonight, because as I type these words it is
raining outside
Urban Simplicity.
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