A Morning Walk
Toronto, Ontario 
Fall of 2016
Presentable.  Looks can deceive,
and yet we hasten to judge, "Get a job." 
The distance between a sidewalk 
and a park bench can be measured
by inches, dollars, or days. As a 
bystander, I remind myself that 
lives are created or destroyed 
by those metrics.
"Homeless 97% Blind
Veteran. Give what u 
Can Afford Please. 
Not For: 
Booze - 16 years without
Smokes - 38 years without 
Drugs - Never taken or tried."
I have the luxury to 
analyze this situation.
Within the juxtaposition of words and reality 
adjacency is sometimes a coincidence.
"DREAM.  PLEASE EXCUSE OUR APPEARANCE..."
Someone less fortunate than me offers 
a helping hand.  Shamefully, I cannot
say that this is a coincidence. 
I ask myself, "Who hasn't dreamt of being 
young and rich." 
I harbor that thought not with sarcasm, not 
as dark humor, but with a keen awareness of 
the irony in this scene.  
The word 'humility' comes to mind. Beneath
the surface, there lurks a sense of guilt.
Photos/Text ©Rick Burnett Baker
All Rights Reserved








No comments:
Post a Comment