James (#718) 12-01-14

I was looking for strangers with another photographer. James stopped us, he was using a walker with wheels. He recited (unsolicited) Desiderata, a poem by Max Ehrmann, in 1927. This was a LONG poem, and James sounded sure of himself, and eloquent. Maybe some of the words were wrong, I wouldn’t know, but it sure sounded good. He is an orator, if nothing else. Then James asked us for help getting money for lunch.

James said that besides his walker, he usually carries a large rucksack, but the day before it was ransacked. He had been in St. Petersburg, at the VA hospital when the theft occurred. He is a Navy veteran. The scar on his forehead is from a previous mugging.

I never attempt to verify stranger's stories. I report what I am told.

Bob