James C Ryan

Voices from the Street James C Ryan

There is a population within our society that most ignore. Yet the inhabitants of this population, who hide in the shadows of too many of our cities, have much to instruct us about humanity, survival, and adaption. This is a true saga of homeless people from the perspective of someone who not only embraced the learning from these individuals but also the people themselves. In the process, I learned what it is to be truly compassionate to the needs of others. This narration is of my interaction with the Midnight Run and as a social worker in Yonkers. As implausible as it may seem at times, the facts are all accurate; the events truly happened. As is the case with things mystical - for this is in part a mystical tale - the meaning is personal, as was the living of it. I lived it; the impressions are mine. You cannot experience certain happenings without there being a profound change in who you are and what you become. However, this tale is more about the things that influenced that "becoming" rather than the "becoming" itself.