Have You Seem Me?

Finally, my buddy Dave who works for Assist Incorporated and facilitates a weekly meeting that myself and other volunteers attend to adjudicate the award of grant money for home remodeling home repair to folks were lower income. We're not have a meeting since before the holidays and I was beginning to get a little bit concerned. But like all this morning I was a short ever be a meeting and there was. Typically the meeting to 11 AM and last anywhere from one half hour to the hour.

The sun was out today and has been warmer than usual this whole January. I was eager to get out and do some traveling in my over-hauled chair as well as just to enjoy the unseasonable warmth we get to enjoy before the storms begin . I have found if I leave my apartment about 9:30 AM this will give me down town to the public library and just about quarter after to 20 minutes after 10 o'clock.I don't know if I've mentioned before that the Assist office is directly across the street from the south side of the library. I like to get to the library early enough I can check out what is happening especially books for sale and such. The library is a beautiful facility here in downtown Salt Lake. The library is open, spacious warm and really quite inviting. It is no surprise this beautiful facility has become a magnet for homeless folk. A safe place where individuals were forced out of shelters 8:00 AM can spend their day in relative calm, dry, warm surroundings and of course relatively safe as well. I don't know if I would call this open space but it's kind of a solarium an open area with tables and chairs people can sit and enjoy coffee, or any number of treats and meal products sold in a couple of booths in the front of the library. The vendors have little shops sell bagels, cookies, or toast even eggs and toast for breakfast. That's great if you have money if not you sit there and watch other folks eat it must be painful. I am enjoying the sun which bathes me as I kill time for my meeting to start. The table next to me is inhabited by two hobos (all just not too derogatory but really that's what they are). The table next to them sat a fellow who came in carrying a pizza box strapped to his wire pushcart. He looked a couple steps up from the guy sitting next to him who had nothing except a bag of store-bought cookies. I was impressed to see there are two different kinds of pizza in the pizza box ,cold (that's exactly how I like my pizza the day after). I heard a shy voice ask “hey can I have a cookie” then I heard “sure” followed by the rustle and crinkle of cellophane and other plastic as a cookie was fished out. I have to admit I was kind of moved. About the same moment this was happening I noticed I was sitting next to a pillar in the library covered with posters. Advertisements for lectures, films, festivals in the middle of the posters with a smiling face looking out. Someone named Ravina, missing. I didn't read much more than the name to realize that somewhere if she was still alive she was basically homeless. Much like the folks sitting at the tables all around me. I was wearing my old hood, draped over my shoulders. I'll bet people thought I was almost too. I looked at the clock on my power chair it was almost 11 AM time for the meeting, I need to get going. I wondered about Ravina and worried about the two guys at the table next to me and hope their cookies hold out.