Thursday 8 December 2011

100 words: A homeless lady


The first time I walked past her, sitting on the pavement, I didn’t even look at her. As time passed and our paths crossed more and more often, she caught my attention.

Her back is hunched and she’s very small. She smells funky and her skin is always dirty. She can often be seen around our apartment building and I’m wondering if she used to live here. I’m also wondering why she has become a homeless person.

I’m sure she’s carrying a sad story in her heart and I’m sure that I’ll never know it. 


My inspiration for this story was Lizzie’s latest blog post called Subway sleeper

12 comments:

  1. Lovely post, but very sad.

    I always wonder how these people end up like this. They must have a story to tell. Is it a slippery slope downward? I still see the same faces in central London, sleeping on the streets, as I did when I worked there 10 years ago! How can they still be sleeping rough? Its terrible.

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  2. you might know it...if you just stop, and talk to her :)

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  3. Same story here. Same faces, too. Sometimes you talk. Sometimes it seems safer to just walk on by.

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  4. I've often wondered about stopping to talk. But then, I always wonder; would I be violating their privacy? Maybe they don't want people stopping and bothering them. I never know what to do...

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  5. Awe that makes me sad. Lovely post though! :)

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  6. Sad. I think similar thoughts when I see a homeless person sometimes.

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  7. I wonder how many people we watch, and wonder about, without ever knowing the story of their lives and loves. Thought-provoking - thank you.

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  8. @Dicky - Thank you.

    @Adrian - I wouldn't want to talk about it if I was homeless so I don't want to put her in an awkward situation.

    @Nessa - Thanks for commenting.

    @Li - I feel the same. I don't want to ask someone about something that might be very painful for him/her to talk about.

    @Doria - Thanks sweetie.

    @Trishie - Thank you for commenting.

    @Rebecca - Thanks sweetie.

    @Sharon - Thank you for stopping by and commenting.

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  9. It's amazing what you can trigger from 100 words! :)

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  10. I agree with Arian. Stop and talk to her, say hi. Slowly she will open or even not, it doesn't even matter. I once met a homless person and gave him some money, he was so nice to escort me to my bus station because it was allready late and he said that there are a lot of weirdos around... walking he told me his sad story and even today when I meet him in town he always say's hi and never expects nothing in return. A smile and a talk can make someones day better.

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    Replies
    1. I've had some unpleasant experiences with homeless people before so I try to avoid them and also, as I already said, I don't want to violate someones privacy. Some people don't like to talk about personal things.

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