High Voltage Hovis, the Homeless Angel
© Michael St.Mark 2015
Street person “Hovis”
Old Street, E. London
We stooped to chat with this pale and drawn little fellow, sitting next to a high tension line junction box in the drizzle ( !! ) ; ignored nay shunned by nearly all of the smartly-attired young people passing ..and asked to hear his story.
His street name is Hovis; ex-army and fell on hard times after his marriage broke down. Originally from Yorkshire, we suggested it may be a slightly better life up there..
” Yorkshire’s closed”, he replied.. ” no work”, .. “there hasn’t been much happening up there since Thatcher closed the pits in the 80s”.
So here’s a likable, friendly, humble and inoffensive guy, reduced to wrapping in a silver heat-reflector whilst squatting on a dirty damp pavement with an empty polystyrene cup for hope – and on Mothers Day of all days..
We gave him some money, shook his hand and wished him well.
Hovis may be a nobody in the eyes of the world, but he wears bright bright angel wings
† We believe the first comprehensive highlight of the plight of the homeless including their background stories and the politics behind it to comprise an artwork or to be featured in the media – press or television.
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‡ Update, winter 2017/ 2018;
Images of street people rough sleeping and airing of their plight and individual background stories now seriously trending in the mainstream media.
London Dada – “reconnecting art with life”
since 2005
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If this photo had been in black and white i could have thought it was from the 1930’s and the depression. How can it be 2015 and people like this guy are on the ‘scrap heap’ and reduced to living on the street?
An election coming up is surely one way we can try and change life for the many people in the same situation as Hovis. I’m sure if some of the rich ‘fat cats’ had to live like this for even just one day they’d be bleating at how they couldn’t manage.
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He’s a victim of a pernicious and grossly unfair system, as we mostly all are or have been to some extent over the past three decades of the Con/Lab flipflop.
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“We”??? Thanks for making me cry over the homeless, though I daresay we’ve our own passel in our cities and elsewhere here in the USA. After that, I am struck dumb, not having any worthwhile speeches to offer the poor fellow, excepting one, which I’ll spare you. Richly poignant and excellently suited to this your British Mother’s Day. Thank you so very much for sharing.
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