The Tragedy of Powell Street
So, this is the Cave Zombie from Plants Vs. Zombies, but...
One of the biggest subway stations in San Francisco is the one at Powell St. It connects to the mArket St. square, which includes the Flood Building, the cable car turnaround, and a five-storey mall. It's also a hub for street performers, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homeless people. For about half of the year, I worked in the Flood Building, and thus went through that station every day. One of the homeless regulars there is an older Asian man, possibly Tibetan (people who recognize him tend to say Tibetan - it may be the facial features, who knows) with shaggy hair, a wispy beard, and really obvious mental problems. He may or may not understand English, or any real language, but he constantly says, "Ai!" It's not a chant, more like a tic, or perhaps he's trying to communicate but has severe aphasia. But when he's around, you can hear, "Ai! Ai! Ai! Ai!" He begs for food, wandering around with his slow, unsteady shuffle, his hands half-reaching out for a tiny morsel from the nearby Starbucks, or whatever else is there. He keeps a reasonable distance, but you can see it in his face - he may not be entirely there, but he is aware eough to know that he's suffering. It breaks my heart every time I see him, because what can I do? I couldn't offer him work even if I owned a business. I couldn't call the police, who would never help him. I could try to contact a charity, but could they find him? I've gotten him food a few times, and he smiled as he said, "Ai! Ai! Ai!" But it's small comfort, and small relief. Sometimes life is heartbreaking because of your helplessness.
And the thing is, this figure looks exactly like a cartoon version of him. Same shaggy hair, same little beard, same not-really mustache, same look in is eyes, even the same missing teeth. The similarity is so spot-on that it's uncanny, and thus this figure is a reminder that this world is sick with sin and pain and misery. "Life isn't fair."
The Tragedy of Powell Street
So, this is the Cave Zombie from Plants Vs. Zombies, but...
One of the biggest subway stations in San Francisco is the one at Powell St. It connects to the mArket St. square, which includes the Flood Building, the cable car turnaround, and a five-storey mall. It's also a hub for street performers, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homeless people. For about half of the year, I worked in the Flood Building, and thus went through that station every day. One of the homeless regulars there is an older Asian man, possibly Tibetan (people who recognize him tend to say Tibetan - it may be the facial features, who knows) with shaggy hair, a wispy beard, and really obvious mental problems. He may or may not understand English, or any real language, but he constantly says, "Ai!" It's not a chant, more like a tic, or perhaps he's trying to communicate but has severe aphasia. But when he's around, you can hear, "Ai! Ai! Ai! Ai!" He begs for food, wandering around with his slow, unsteady shuffle, his hands half-reaching out for a tiny morsel from the nearby Starbucks, or whatever else is there. He keeps a reasonable distance, but you can see it in his face - he may not be entirely there, but he is aware eough to know that he's suffering. It breaks my heart every time I see him, because what can I do? I couldn't offer him work even if I owned a business. I couldn't call the police, who would never help him. I could try to contact a charity, but could they find him? I've gotten him food a few times, and he smiled as he said, "Ai! Ai! Ai!" But it's small comfort, and small relief. Sometimes life is heartbreaking because of your helplessness.
And the thing is, this figure looks exactly like a cartoon version of him. Same shaggy hair, same little beard, same not-really mustache, same look in is eyes, even the same missing teeth. The similarity is so spot-on that it's uncanny, and thus this figure is a reminder that this world is sick with sin and pain and misery. "Life isn't fair."