You've seen them. They hang out on the off ramps and their signs tell you about their condition:
Homeless - Hungry - Need Help - Got a buck? - House Burned need to feed family and dog - Disabled Vet - Will work for food - God bless
Does anyone believe them? Do people give just in case? Do most people think the sign is a lie but give what they can to the homeless because the depth of their need is beyond what can be scratched onto cardboard?
Just a few feet further off the highway ramp was another man carrying another sign. You've seen these signs too:
Blowout Mattress Sale - New Condos - Furniture Liquidation Sale - New Construction Homes for Sale
Both of these guys are standing at the ramp exit and holding signs. One would appear "legit" while waving his sign and listening to his iPod while the other makes his living holding a sign of humility, whether it false or sincere.
Both of these guys are there, holding signs, for the reason of collecting money. They both desire means to a lifestyle they've chosen and do so within the constraints they've allowed themselves to be subjected.
I've been told before by skeptics of homelessness that those signs they carry are "total bullshit." Well, all I have to say is sometimes those mattresses and condos aren't exactly what they're promised to be either.
2 comments:
these are the posts i like so much and the reason i keep coming back to this blog. -c
i toss dollar bills out the window regulary.
had a family member who ended up a certain way for while. the signs may be bullshit. but its not the prose that prompts me.
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