Tent City

I was out one day, and someone very dear to me was showing me around the parts in downtown St. Louis where the homeless live. We ended up walking along the river, as he intended to show me Tent City. And it is just that, a little city made of varying tents. These can be camping tents, or a makeshift house made from what's around, and people reside there. The thing about inner St. Louis is that it used to be gorgeous. Classic architecture, booming businesses, simply a wonderful place. Now it is left to ruins; the place is crawling with abandoned buildings, factories, and railroads, and covered in graffiti. Despite this, it was a memorable adventure. I was given a chance to glimpse how people survive when they have little to nothing. As we were walking back, we both saw a simple message graffitied onto a wall, "Everything was beautiful...." Needless to say, we had to photograph it. It says so much in those three words. Just imagine what could have been. How much hope is left in that little city that things could once again be beautiful? What are you willing to do to feed that hope?