I met this man on a recent afternoon walk around downtown Austin. He was sitting on a bench on the north side of Fourth Street, across the street from a Capital MetroRail station. I asked him where the train went, and he said, get on and find out. He smiled. He said he couldn’t afford to ride it. We chatted for a while. He said he used to paint with Art From the Streets, a free and open studio in Austin that serves artists in the homeless community. I asked why he quit. He shrugged. I encouraged him to start painting again. We chatted some more. And then I went on my way, turning to wave at this friendly stranger.
The Light of the Road 
This is a beautiful portrait. People like this man tend to blur into the background for me, as I’m sure is the case with lots of others. But here he is strikingly visible, the glint in his eye, the curlicues of his beard, his sculpted features. He is in focus, both literally and figuratively. Thank you, Camille, for sharing his wisdom: If you want to know where the train is going, get on and find out.
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Thank you, Carol! You are a fellow traveler on this road of vision … seeing what others don’t see.
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