Homeless Creative Writing

The morning sky was breathtakingly beautiful and not a single soul was on the street. I left my apartment building, quickly stuffed my keys in my backpack, and I was off to school. The groggy morning fog coated the buildings like a blanket and it kept the day feeling young and crisp. I walked down the steps of the subway and my train was pulled up, as if it was waiting for me. I hopped in, found a seat, and everything was perfect. The day couldn't get any better. More people had invaded the city when I exited the subway station. I struggled to make my way through the crowd but finally, I had made it through the chaos. When I turned the corner, I was startled by a strange man with a dirty face, dreadlocks, baggy clothes, and a stench that …show more content…
I looked up at the sky and it had lost its beauty from this morning. There were a few clouds here and there but nothing special. I watched my feet step on the dark gum stains on the sidewalk and found my feet on the homeless man’s cardboard. I looked up at him startled. “I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention.” I felt my voice raise three octaves because I was so nervous. As I stared at his ‘home’ I heard a voice behind me. “Honey, be careful, there's a scary man on your right side. You dont know whats in his head, so be careful!” I hoped the man didn't hear but his head dropped in shame. The girl- whose mother said all of the awful things- looked at me as she passed. She looked confused and I felt as though she was embarrassed for me because I was standing with a homeless man. “Would you mind if I interviewed you real quick?” I couldn't believe what I had said. Had I just gotten myself into a deeper mess? He looked up, astonished. “Oh, that's not a good idea. You should probably head home now.” His eyes refused to lock with mine, and he nervously looked both ways. He finally looked up as if to tell me to leave but I spoke again. “No. I...I want to, and it's my english project and I..I want to know your story. It will only take five minutes, I promise.” I stared at the homeless man and let him know I wasn't going anywhere. Without a single reply, I took out my notebook, and joined him on the gross, germ-infested streets of New York City. …show more content…
“So, Charles, this is what I have so far.” I looked at him, as if asking for his permission to read the things I had uncovered. He nodded. “Charles Xavier Hemsfield, from Los Angeles, California. Graduated in 2001 from Stanford with a masters in business.” Charles nodded and I saw a smile. His teeth were yellowed, but in that moment, I couldn't stop thinking about the Charles from before. The one with a clean-cut hairstyle, not dreadlocks, a nice face, not covered in dirt, and I couldn't help but think about the man he was before he lost it all. “Im guessing you want to know how I ended up here.” He said gesturing to his ‘home’. “It’s fine, you don't have to share.” I found myself looking down the street hoping I wouldn't see anyone I knew. The last thing I wanted was someone I knew seeing me with a homeless man. “No, I will. Anyways, like I said, I was a businessman. I definitely was respected in the business community, but I was feared.” He chuckled to himself. When he looked back up, his eyes were glossed over. Suddenly, a stream of water left his eye and carved a path through his mucky face, and I was able to see his pale skin. “I made some bad business decisions that cost me my life. I lost my job, my wife, my kids, and now I'm just a piece of garbage that when people walk by, they hold their kids close, or their bags.” In an instant, he started balling. I didn't know what to do. All I could think