I had a chance to be in the St. Louis City Public Library recently, a wonderful, historic building. I was surprised to see several homeless folk, sheltering indoors for the winter's day, in stark contrast to the gorgeous surroundings. This is not the shot I expected to take. The number of homeless appeared to far outnumber the literary patrons of the library, at least for this day. Sad and complex.
Anyway, thanks for visiting... I appreciate each one.
10/1/2020: Finished year 7 (!), with continuing gratitude towards this amazing community. Based in St. Louis, MO. Regular worker-bee and self-taught photography dilettante....
I hadn't expected that caption when I opened this gorgeous image! If the homeless treat the library with respect, I think it's good that they have a warm place to sit for the day. Like you, I mull the complexity of this situation in America...it's visible everywhere.
Such a contrast of the golden glow of wealth against the reality of some people's lives! Heartwarming that they are allowed to stay there out of the cold. Great image telling a sad story of our times! Fav!
WOW...this is really an amazing capture. So much to take in here. Sad in many ways, but tells a very poignant story. A beautiful place to get lost in a good book! Hope they were enjoying that opportunity. FAV
Our main library in Chicago is not as historically opulent as this building, but it is still a wonderful structure and I find the same mix of patrons there depending on the floor. I like to think, that for some, it is one part of the day where they get to feel something other than homeless.
Sad, complex and factual. Your shot speaks volumes about the socio-economic inequalities of the world we live in. Public facilities have a long history of accommodating the less-fortunate. Karl Marx wrote his magnum opus, Das Kapital in the warmth of the British Museu.
