Journal SolemnDragon's Journal: It's enough to make a grown man blow up his own TV.... 8

That's the john prine song i was listening to (Quit hollerin' at me, is the title) when the guy walked up to me.

Street folk. Tired. Cold. Older, and weatherbeaten. Probably hungry.

Says something.

I take off my headphones. When god talks, you listen.

"Got any change i can have? It's cold, and i want to get something to eat."

I hold up one finger. "WAIT." i say.

I go through my pockets, because i know i've got some somewhere. I pour it into his hands.

"Thanks," he says, not counting. Well, i peeked as i handed it over, and if it was more than fiftyseven cents, i'd be surprised. "Hang on," i say. "I can do better than that."

I always keep a dollar on me, just in case. So i handed him that, too. I wasn't scared, i wasn't bothered.

I've been homeless.

Yeah, i wrote a coupla songs about it. But more to the point, the guy turns to me. "I'm waitin' on the election results," he says.

"Were you able to vote?" i ask, because i really do care.

"YES." he says, proudly. "I voted! And i voted for Kerry! You ARE gonna vote, right?" His turn to look concerned.

"Yep! I'm on my way now!" which i was. I smile at him. He says we need some changes in this country, and so he figured he kinda had to vote. He says he plays the horn a lot over on Newbury street, drop by anytime i see him there, and goes on his way.

I talked to a security guard at work today. He mentioned voting. He FedExed his absentee ballot last week, back home to Georgia. He said he's been trying to explain to his daughter why people should vote. I told him my mum brought me up to vote, saying when people give me the chance to speak my mind, i better do it, or i have NO right to complain.

Yeah, he says. That's about it.

So today's lesson? People with WORSE JOBS THAN MINE, and PEOPLE WITH NO JOB AT ALL still feel inspired about the process and about taking part.

It's easy to feel disenfranchised, especially when you're homeless. I didn't vote when i was homeless. I didn't know you could. Shelters run programs to make it possible, on the grounds that who needs a voice more than the homeless?

People know we aren't there yet, but they don't feel that letting go of the steering wheel is an adequate time-filler while the road gets built to where we WANT to go.

You're damned right, i voted.

And... I gotta carry more pocket change. Today's lesson did me good.