Michael

That isn't his real name, he later told me when I asked him for an e-mail address so that I could send him the edited photo.

I had been to the market and set down my groceries to open the door when a this young man passed behind me on the sidewalk. Seeing my camera hanging from my shoulder, he asked if I would take his photograph. He said something about wanting me to be able to record this moment for him.

He had just moved to San Francisco from Texas and seemed a bit overwhelmed. I think he was also homeless, though he carried very little with him. We talked briefly, and in many ways, he reminded me of my son. He said he was looking for work and I wished him luck... that I knew from experience that getting work wasn't going to be easy. I hope he's doing OK.