Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Elemental Living

Assignment 2 ENG-109 Feature Story Serena Aubrey

Elemental Living


When I woke up Monday morning I found it a bit chilly, so I turned the heat up. I looked out the window and noticed the fog. Everything was wet outside from the mist. I shivered at the sight of it, glad for my home, grateful that I do not have to struggle with attempting survival in the elements.

I had determined, the night before, that Monday was the day I was going to go see the “porch man”. I had noticed that a homeless man had moved onto the porch of a vacant house on Cliffe Avenue, between 19th & 17th Street. I thought I would go talk to this individual and ask him how this unfortunate situation had occurred. Sitting at my kitchen table, sipping my coffee, my thoughts turned to this guy. I wondered how cold he had been last night? I wondered if he was wet from the mist in the air?

I had been watching the porch for about a week, trying to catch a look at the fellow who made his bed there every night. I wasn't sure if the gentleman would be willing to share his story, or if it was even wise for me to make contact with a “street-person”. When I finally saw who the man was I felt okay about approaching him. I thought he wouldn’t mind so much. He hangs around Safeway, you see, and I had run into him before, given him a few cigarettes. On Sunday, while shopping, I sought him out at his regular spot by the Starbuck’s stand. I sat with him and asked if he was living on the porch of the house on Cliffe. He peered at me bright sky-blue eyes and quite readily told me he was. I asked him if I could visit with him the next morning, on his porch, to talk about his situation, and ask him some questions. I explained that I was a journalism student, assigned a feature story, and wondered if I might write about him. He was agreeable.