Encircled by light

The thaw has come, and I was finally able to go out for a walk (no shopping, it’s a week to Strike for Palestine, especially today). 

I was strolling aimlessly along, searching for a blip with my camera in my hand, when I saw this man, his hair and beard an aura of light. I thought I would love to photograph him, but I don’t photograph people who seem vulnerable without their permission, and I felt it would be rude to ask. Just then he made eye contact and came toward me with purpose in his step.

I asked the impossibly stupid question people always ask when meeting strangers who might be in distress, “Are you OK?” He shook his head no and answered gently, “Dar. Dar.” Then he pointed to me, to himself, and said again, “Dar.” 

It dawned on me that he might be deaf, or perhaps suffers from a speech impediment. 

“Dollar?” I asked, and he nodded yes. 

I gave him one of the two dollars I had in my wallet, and he made a sound and bent his head for a moment in acknowledgment. I asked if I could make a photo of him, pointed to the camera and to him. He shrugged, paused, looked off to my right. It occurred to me then that perhaps posing for photographs is one of the ways he makes a little survival cash; maybe this is something he does regularly. More power to him.