truth is, that day, i had composed a long quasi political rant about the state of this town i call home, and my on again off again love affair we have. typing in haste has gotten me in trouble before- this would have been no different.
the photo was taken in a mile long strip of green space that intersects Safeway and Sam's to the south and Walmart and Old Navy (among others) to the north. i use the term green space loosely- not as a term of protection but one simply of color. now it is green. in months it will be paved. i discovered during my wanders that this swath of tall grass and bush is home to a dozen or so homeless folk. i was drawn there by two vandalized political signs that i found interesting, but found myself among beds of dirty sheets instead.
i see many makeshift shelters on my walks, but this was as close to a community as i've seen. i felt a little uneasy being there, but made many photos. i only liked the ones that left the viewer asking questions- like the one posted on 10/12. not a literal portrait of the homeless or an indictment of my town, just an image that leaves room for interpretation.
so, i wonder what is more powerful- the image itself and the questions it evokes, or the words to set the scene? it's up to you, the bits you relate to, the bits you take away. innocence or violence? consensual or not? ambivalence?
me? i can't help but wonder where that girl is right now, and what she's wearing on her feet.
another image from the same day.
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