Unapologetically Artistic

“I’ll tell you anyway.” I continued to stare politely. “No one
knows why I only ask them for a dollar. Well, no one seems to
realize that I can also buy a Lotto Ticket.” He glanced at me to be
sure I was listening and then continued, “With just that one dollar
I can win the Lotto and sit in a chair instead of on a street covered
in crap and the shit people give you. One dollar can get me a
paper that can make everything I dreamed of into a reality. It’s a
cliché line, but I truly believe it can.” He continued explaining
how if you believed something hard enough it’s bound to come
true. I found this to be beautifully ironic and naïve for someone
without a penny to his name. But, then again, the less we have the
more we can imagine.
Later on in the night, hours after having sat on the bench, I
lay awake in bed replaying the odd interaction with a man I hardly
knew, over and over again, and thought about how much faith he
had for one day getting a better life. I thought about how much he
believed that all it took to change his life was a dollar. This belief
did change his life, I guess. It made him optimistic and happy, and
I guess that’s all we could hope for in certain times. As I
contemplated this, I slowly began to drift away into a deep, naïve
sleep. I had a dream that night. I dreamt of my grandfather,
happy as clam, rocking back and forth in a large rocking chair,
laughing his ferocious laugh, and gnashing his stunning smile.
That’s when I realized I had discovered the first truth.
2. The most beautiful smiles come from the least beautiful people.
I had seen the man every day since. He had never gotten on the
bus, but always shared with me a reassuring glimpse of a partial
smile and I a smile with him. I was fourteen when I discovered
the second truth. It was anything but normal that day. The air
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