If you passed her by on the street...

…Would you wish her a Merry Christmas?
…or take the time to chat?
Maybe even offer her half of your sandwich?
You know, she has a name.
She’s a person. She once had a life.
Now she’s one of the forgotten.
At best, a curiosity we might surreptitiously photograph,
At worst, a blight we feel we should ignore.

She has a name.

“My name is Margaret” she told me, “but I used to be called…”
…she can’t remember.
I told her “That’s ok, I forget stuff too”.
She smiled, and ate my sandwich.

...and tomorrow, John? Who will be there for her then?

You have done a good job showing her plight and that she has a name. Often in reporting news, at least in the past 60 years, when printing news photos from "Third World countries" the newspapers showed pictures of folk, but with no names. More often, Europeans will be named individually. That might be changing! Obviously, right now in Greece, in a riot, (or call it angry demonstration), it's awkward to ask guys to disclose their identities!

Thanks for shining a lantern on Margaret and doing it with respect.

Asher

Asher, you will be there for her, if nothing else but in memory. Now she won't be forgotten, because now you know her name.

John Angulat said:

…Would you wish her a Merry Christmas?
…or take the time to chat?
Maybe even offer her half of your sandwich?
You know, she has a name.
She’s a person. She once had a life.
Now she’s one of the forgotten.
At best, a curiosity we might surreptitiously photograph,
At worst, a blight we feel we should ignore.

She has a name.

“My name is Margaret” she told me, “but I used to be called…”
…she can’t remember.
I told her “That’s ok, I forget stuff too”.
She smiled, and ate my sandwich.

Click to expand...

A very impressive image and text.
She has a name and… a portrait. We won't forget her!

As a matter of fact, I have been contacted las week by a French organisation, named DAL (website) who works and act in favor of homeless in France.
They asked for a photo to be given to them for an auction to get money for the homeless people.
I thought I had to. I send them 2 photos…

Hi Nicolas,
Thanks and that's a fine thing you've done.
There's so many forgotten people in the world.
It only takes a moment to try and make their day a bit brighter.
I only wish others would try and help.

John Angulat said:

It only takes a moment to try and make their day a bit brighter.
I only wish others would try and help.

Click to expand...

A book will be edited by the end of the year (2008) and the auction will take place Saturday March 7 - 2009, at:
Centre Culturel La Clef
28 rue de la Clef
75005 Paris

For those around at the time…

John

yes!

even if the inside of the blue tent shrouds us
we still maintain-

This shot is so very haunting
so much so
that it is hard to put in words

maybe at some point I could-

I know this human

It is all of us-

great job in capturing "what we are"


Charlotte-

Nice capture of the mood...!

John Angulat said:

…Would you wish her a Merry Christmas?
…or take the time to chat?
Maybe even offer her half of your sandwich?
You know, she has a name.
She’s a person. She once had a life.
Now she’s one of the forgotten.
At best, a curiosity we might surreptitiously photograph,
At worst, a blight we feel we should ignore.

She has a name.

“My name is Margaret” she told me, “but I used to be called…”
…she can’t remember.
I told her “That’s ok, I forget stuff too”.
She smiled, and ate my sandwich.

Click to expand...

And it also reminds us that the line between success and failure can get blurred, and when you are unlucky enough to end up with the short end of the stick, it takes courage and luck and perseverance to get back on track... avery respectful photo!

Rene-Frank

I know how the wind blowing one way instead of the other can so drastically change and sometimes devistate a person's life. People that would consider such a thing impossible, could go to bed one night seemingly the richest person in the world, then awake the next day not knowing where or how they will eat another meal or sleep on a bed and pillow, having no idea how it ever happened to them. In the blink of an eye your whole world can crumble. I know we will see more and more of this kind of tragedy in our futures. Hopefully it will pass us by and not land in our laps but chances are that it surely could.

It's very sad to me and tonight my frame of mind is such that I don't want to think about it. Now that your image has shown itself however, I don't think that will be possible. At least for a little while. I am pretty sure that is probably a good thing but at the moment, it is very difficult to realize that and believe it. Be safe and sleep well everyone.

If it made you think...

...then it's served it's purpose.

James, Rene, Oli & Charlotte - thank you very much for the kind remarks and comments. James is correct: in the blink of an eye this can be any of us.

How sad, even haunting. Worse yet is the fact that their are so many of these people never noticed, just wasting away.

I don't like to look at it, yet I can't stop looking.

Ron,
Then my purpose has been served and I have achieved my goal. You came back.
Now, my question is: has the medium so affected you that you can affect change?

I will not and do not apologize for being an advocate and friend to the homeless. I sometime post these images in the hope I can affect change in some small way.
I try not to let them be forgotten.

John Angulat said:

Ron,
Then my purpose has been served and I have achieved my goal. You came back.
Now, my question is: has the medium so affected you that you can affect change?

I will not and do not apologize for being an advocate and friend to the homeless. I sometime post these images in the hope I can affect change in some small way.
I try not to let them be forgotten.

Click to expand...

John, we do try to help. During the summer my wife stops at yard sales and picks up stuffed animals and other toys. We take these to the shelter for battered women. We bought them a quality artificial tree, stand and lights. We have given them 2 small televisions and I don't know how much else.

For the homeless we pick up decent clothes and coats to donate. A business was moving a couple of years ago and had boots on sale cheap. they were of quality so I bought several pair and gave them to the shelter. When we have clothes we don't want or run across any, not rags, we take them to the shelter.
My wife get a turkey at Christmas time from work, we donate that and canned goods.

These things give us a lot of satisfaction. Only once have we ever had a problem. A guy insisted my wife let him go through a big box of things one time. My wife told him it was going inside for distribution. He tried to forcibly take it away from my wife. Undaunted she pushed her way inside. She said when she came outside he made her very nervous with an intimidating stare until she left in her vehicle.

Ron, I give my heartfelt applause to you and your kind wife.
It isn't really that difficult, caring and doing, is it? I only wish others could take some time.
If you get a chance, please read Charlotte's poem in her post on the homeless. It is magnificent!