Dying on the Corner

On the corner of Roseberry and Shortwood roads there is a teenage boy, who begs money on most days and looks as if he is dying.

As I drove up recently I saw him again. He was skinnier, and even more emaciated than before. His eyes were more bulging, and as bloodshot as they were before.

He moved slowly from car to car, looking as if it is taking every ounce of strength for him to simply beg for what looks to me like the money he will spend on food to eat that day.

In my bones I felt a terminal and deep, numb sense of futility as my mind raced through thoughts and feelings too numerous to remember. Guilt... Fear... Anger... Compassion...

Things were easier living in Fort Lauderdale, when I didn't have to confront these things. They just went on happening without my being involved in them. I could just go on with my life, worrying about what fertilizer to use on the lawn, and whether or not to buy it at KMart or Home Depot. After all, I could find the answer to that just by doing a Google search.

Now I have forgotten about the lawn, and am thinking about this boy slowly wasting away in front of my eyes. And the fact that I can't find a ready answer on the internet... or anywhere else.

P.S. This isn't him. But it looks just like him.