GAIL, POET-PANHANDLER

She hangs out in the Starbucks parking lot. She hands out her poetry

and asks for donations. She's a sweet gal.

Great story and a fine photo! Thanks for sharing. Doug

Great portrait, looks like a nice young lady.

I've seen her walking into a bank in the Cayman Islands carrying a suitcase full of money wearing a Starbuck's shirt. Good for her, and thank you. Regards

In The Great Book Of Job Descriptions there are only three slots for Poet/Panhandler in all of North America and you found one of them. How lucky can you get?

Thanks. I can always count on you for a view and comment.

Thanks. I'm really trying hard to do portraits, and I have a long way to go.

Did she mention my name? LOL Thanks so much for looking.

Only you would know that. I was in a generous mood, so I ordered up three poems. Herewith I give you one of them as a reward for being such a sly wag.

 

FRICTION

 

 

SOUL CROSS PATH

SOMETIME BY

 

MISCHANC IS

 

YOU WOULD NOT

 

KNOW THE OTHER

 

DUE TO

SURCUMSTANCE

BUT ILL NEVER FORGET

 

THE CUT THROUTS

 

 

May you enjoy. (By the way, I'm assuming it's copyrighted, so don't let me catch you quoting without permission :))

you said you had three come on lay it on us, the writing is so prolific and poignant!

Are you getting some commission on this deal? Okay, here ya go:

 

 

I'm a big fan of poetry, and street singing, and...what else?...coffee! I like everything about this.

By way of thanking you and Gail, I'm going to challenge myself to come up with a picture for every line in the poem. The game's afoot!

I'm with you a hundred percent there. Maybe throw in free love too.

Just so you don't make a fool of yourself, please note that the next to the last line is "circumstance" not circumcision.

 

And, I told Gail I would bring her a picture next week. So, maybe I'll include yours too. She would be so proud to know she inspired such an accomplished photographer.

Her birthday is coming up she might just need a little seed money and some internet time, she will be on her way and you will feel better about life and sleep good at night. two birds one stone.

You seem to know way too much about this girl. I'm getting very suspicious.

Gail puts the rest of us wanna-be's to shame. I can't imagine standing on a street corner trying to make pittance by handing out my sorry-ass photos. The girl's got guts (and a nice smile). Wish her well from the PN peanut gallery.

It is such a human scene, and I salut both of you, her, for her guts to stand like that in the street with trying to "sale" her "heart" which is present probably in her poems,and you! doing two generous actions, buying and photographing her for us. She has a nice smile and an optimistic look, I wish her luck.

 

Thanks for that David, you have a soul, and an eye, and it is well composed.

You are right that the poor girl has guts and some initiative. I can only imagine what her life is like. I don't envision it is like anything you or I would choose. But, then again, I don't imagine it is like what she would choose either if there had been an alternative available.

I'm much indebted to you again for taking a look. Don't give me too much credit. Truth of the matter is, I'm a slow learner. I know I've told you guys many times how I see great portraits out on the streets, but almost all of the time I'm too reserved to try and capture them by approaching the person directly. I had stopped to get a latte (to which I'm addicted) and as I got out of my vehicle, I saw this gal approaching and my defenses shot up to high alert. Well, I could not escape her, so she started pelting me with questions and comments that I could not ignore without being ruder than I like to be. She handed me a sheet of paper and said it was a special poem for me (yeah, right!) and then two more. I knew what she was after, and I fished out my wallet and gave her a buck and made my escape into Starbucks. While sitting inside the place drinking my latte, it finally dawns on me that here was a perfect subject for a street photo, and I was pretty sure that she would cooperate, since she was already in debt to me (my thought, maybe not hers) and she would be looking for more money. I know, that it was a less than altruistic way of viewing the situation, but some photographers will sell their soul for a good image, and who am I to try to rise above the rest of humanity?

 

So with the latte in my belly, newly fortified, I went back out to the parking lot, and approached her. She seemed so happy to do it, and so happy that I would even want to do it, and I talked briefly with her while we took a dozen images. She was quite cooperative. So the beautiful part of this is that it made her more of a real person to me and less of a nuisance. And I think that is probably a good thing. I hope I did not take unfair advantage of her. And I'm really looking forward to giving her a nice 8 X 10 of her smiling face next week. Who knows, maybe she'll write a poem about me.

It sounds like you have had some life changing experience with this simple photo, maybe she is connected somehow, her photo has generated alot of input for some reason or maybe you have started to see people and there soul, something is up here! You got the ball now run with it!!! Good Luck. Bless the ARTS:-))-:

Your story adds to it. It started as her need finished with yours, and the result is a nice human encounter.

I agree with Pnina, thank you for sharing. I too em a little hesitant of street people so I'm inspired since reading your up to events to take this photo. Thank you for that.

Thanks guys. You people are what I love about Pnet.