Saturday, February 12, 2011

His Name is Ralph Grimaldi

One of the very first posts on our blog was a short poem I wrote back in August, 2010, about a homeless man that I would see every day on my way to work.  I didn't see him for a few days, and that's when I wrote that poem.  He returned shortly after, and I have continued to see him off and on for the past 6 months.  When I pass by, he's often chatting with somebody (usually a woman) who has brought him a cup of coffee or some cat food.  I have always wanted to stop and talk to him myself, to find out his story.  Why the cat?  How did he end up homeless?  What's his name?

This morning, I opened the Vancouver Sun and found myself staring at a picture of him, and was able to read a full-length, feature story of Ralph Grimaldi.  That's his name - Ralph Grimaldi.  So, now I know his name.  And his story.  Or at least, some of it.  And why the cat.  It's too bad I didn't discover all this from Ralph himself.  I could have.

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