A Photographic Elegy

There’s Roy and Sr. Mary Faith, they lived to be in their

nineties. Some believe they were lucky. That was Ramon,

a homeless person who was burned to death while sleep-

ing outside in the winter too close to a fire.

Luis had several Pancreatitis attacks and a bad heart exacer-

bated by excessive drinking. That was nearly a quarter of a

century ago, and I can say with a good deal of certainty, he is

no longer among the living.

And then there’s Jimmy who dropped dead on the street from

an overdose of drugs. He was in his early fifties. Devin, well

Devin was wrought with severe depression, and took his own

life at age thirty-one.

Dutch and F.J. made it into their eighties when they passed

away. Some of these had like Margaret and Margie had various

maladies and diseases which facilitated their demise. Death

always finds its way given circumstance or time.

Then, of course there’s Roy and Sister Mary Faith who lived to

be in their nineties. Some believe they were lucky.

Chris Hanch  9-19-15