95 of 100
WORKING 9 to 5
Day 95 …… 9 to 5 ……. working 9 to 5, as in the Dolly Parton song ……..
The guy in the photo works 9 to 5 ……. possibly longer …… But he doesn’t have the type of job that springs to mind when one hears that phrase.
Oh no ……………. the chap in the photo is a homeless guy; selling copies of ‘The Big Issue’ on the streets of Beverley, to try to make ends meet. Cheerful and chatty, he stands on his ‘spot’ outside M&S. His few belongings in a bag behind him. He is there every day.
But he doesn’t go home to a cosy room after work ……. no loving family …. no warming meal.
No TV or radio to wile away the dark hours.
No mobile phone or laptop to ‘Tweet’ or catch up with friends on FaceBook.
No bed to sleep in.
Nothing ……………
I know times are hard for all of us and many of you are jobless too. But I doubt that anyone who is reading this, on tablets, iphones or computers, is homeless.
The guy in the photo; lets call him ‘George’; was just one of many destitute people that I spotted, living on the streets of the affluent East Yorkshire market town.
Some seem to have given up hope as they lie, huddled in grubby sleeping-bags and stained, filthy blankets, in cobbled alleyways.
Others, like ‘ George’, still struggle to keep their self-respect; still try to live a ‘normal’ life.
But, as one chap who was touring the charity shops, trying desperately to buy blankets, told me …….
” I’ve been homeless for 12 years, lovey. I’d love a job, but who the hell is going to employ me when I have no-where to live. And I can’t get somewhere to live because I have no job.”
I didn’t know what to say ……. I felt helpless and heart-sore for him and all the others.
The nights are getting longer and colder now. I draw the curtains against the darkening sky and curl up on my sofa in the warmth of my sitting-room.
I switch on the TV.
The weather-girl, with her smiling, unlined face, points vacuously at a map and warns gardeners of frost; drivers of possible icy conditions on their way to work next morning; high winds and heavy rain that will turn to sleet and even snow. ……….. And my mind turns to thoughts of ‘George’ and all the other homeless people; the ones I spoke to in Beverley and the many hundreds all across the country.
Next time you see a ‘George’, don’t just walk by, avoiding eye contact. Don’t cross the road or gaze in disgust. If you can ……. offer a few coins…… buy them a coffee or soup ……. or, if you can’t do that, just stop and say “Hello” ………
There but for fate go all of us ………
Rosiewrites2 
A worthy addition to your blog, m’dear. I have my regular Big Issue vendor in Cardiff, who greets me like a family member whenever I see him!
A disturbing number of street homeless are ex-army. We have CLEARLY failed those poor sods. After many years of being told when to get up/go to bed, when to eat, probably even when to crap !, they often struggle to cope with the disciplines of self-reliance. A significant number of them end up in prison too. So much for governments (of all political hue) “covenant” with them.
You’d be surprised what you learn, if you take the time to chat to them.
P x
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