statement: on the road

BOY WITH EAR LOBE GAUGES PANHANDLING, SAN FRANCISCO, APRIL 2006 

gabriel from portland sitting on the sidewalk panhandling. traveling the west coast. when he goes back to portland, figures he'll get "some sorta mill job" 

revised caption: 

...it's 12:31 pm. march 2. 2007. 

it's hard to breathe sometimes as the pulse races. or do i just forget to? 

the subject line reads "on the road boy" 

"i know the boy... he never made it through the year" 

...it's 5:59 pm. april 24. 2006. should it be this cold? 

he's sitting on the corner. like it's his. he's panhandling. 

waiting for a friend to bring back food. 

i sit beside him. 

as people pass, he's always noticed. some stop. some continue. 

we talk about the road. about home. about life. about girls. 

he's gentler than you'd think. more interested in things you say. and he cares more too. 

he's not sure what's next; but says now's good. 

his friend returns. 

...it's october 17. 2006.  

it's his gun.  

it's his choice. 

farewell. 

gabriel joshua wolrab, may 3, 1985 - october 17, 2006. 

for his mother, his sisters, his brothers, his friends.