As I was walking down a rather humble alley of this city with a burning stick in between my two fingers
I spotted a man leaned against a rusted lamppost with his two legs spread in front of him.
He had some distinct coins scattered around and he was painting a broken wall with charcoals…
It was a lame painting…no imagination behind that, only the reflections of constant struggle.
But the romanticism of his audacity was all dazzling in his eyes.
I had nothing with me…no money, no music, no imaginations,
I had just a pack of half smoked cigarettes and a nutty candy bar and a few bucks.
I gave him two cigarettes and I took the half of my candy bar and gave him the other half…
I couldn’t afford another night of month-end starvation.
He smiled at me and all of sudden started painting with a white chalk…
The old fucker did know the cost of an attainment.

That same night I found a man sitting inside his own car…
He had framed glasses…a crisp shirt and a bound air-conditioner.
And he was looking at the reflections of a infertile sky on his branded wristwatch.
I know how people look like when they haven’t ever travelled away from their love and still love it…
Well he looked like one.
I had absolutely nothing to give him other than my own traveling soul…
But I had to keep it. I couldn’t afford a life with infinite fulfillment.

Strangely I was feeling good after that. I saw two poles in a single adventure.
And I was satisfied with the humanness of both of these two strong men…
I captured them, I used them, I gave them but most importantly I didn’t let them take each other’s place in a pulse of a galaxy.

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Photograph: Jaymi Heimbuch.