I follow a local news photojournalist, Mike Simons, on various social media platforms. He has a way of capturing events in our city and surrounding areas that show humanity. Photographs that react and respond to current happenings without sensationalism.

One such photo recently caught my attention. The subject was a local minister known for his consistent peaceful protests for civil rights. On this particular day, the minister encountered a man asking for water. The man appeared to be homeless.

The minister’s response, captured in this photo, pierced my heart. I cannot get it out of my mind. The man requesting water, sitting on the ground, was met with unconditional love. The minister not only gave him water, but he also stooped down, washed the man’s feet, and provided him with clean socks and shoes. https://www.facebook.com/mikesimonsphoto/photos/a.487995598044480/1651200578390637/?type=3&theater

I have not had any interaction so dramatic as this one. Maybe that is why my heart cannot let it go. But I did recently have an interaction with a homeless man. Telling the whole story at this time does not seem appropriate. I did, however, write a poem to express my thoughts. Maybe I will write more later…

He Has a Name

Sad, empty face
Eyes distrusting
And suspicious
Tired-lonely
Beaten down
Shoulders slumped
No home-no
Place to rest
How? Why?
What series of
Events lead him
To this place?
Someone’s dad?
Maybe
Someone’s son?
An undeniable fact
He likes BBQ
Sandwiches from QT
And Monster drinks-
That is all I know
Except that
He is a person
And just like me
He has a soul
Inside that shell
And just like me
He has a name-
His name is Sam