Homeless and Hungry

I have been to London for the last couple of days. I spent a full day in the City admiring the modern architecture while at the same time wondering how these fragile looking, some top heavy, some just too tall, all glass buildings stay upright. I was surrounded by wealth. From the tops of these sky scrappers to the hand made leather shoes on the pavement. The place was oozing with money, that was until my journey home.

While at Kings Cross I was approached by Dean. He said he was homeless and was hungry. He was polite and very apologetic for troubling me. He asked me for 22 pence towards a cup of tea.

He slurred his words and it was apparent to my untrained eye that he was dependent on some type of substance.

As a photographer his face fascinated me. As a fellow human his apparent situation troubled me, He had a vacant gaze although he did try to keep me engaged. The pollution from the city was ingrained and now part of his complexion. He tried to smile but it looked unnatural as though he had very little to smile about and in doing so displayed decayed and unclean teeth.

As a society we need to close the social divide. A 12 minute tube ride was the difference between everything and nothing. How can this be? I do not know what led to Dean's current situation nor do I question where the wealth from the city comes from but what I do know is that something is wrong!

Dean agreed for me to take this image.