Willie here.  Hope this finds y'all well.

I am doing my best.  Just tryin' to survive another day on the mean streets of Nashville, Tennessee, where I call home.  Have lived in the Nashville metro area all my life; I'm a good ole Tennessee country boy.

Because of some bad choices I made, I ended up homeless.  Still am.  Trying to look for work, but nothin's come up as of yet.  People are so bent on knowing WHERE I live on Main Street.  When I tell 'am I don't have a home, well, I might as well have stuck 'em with a hot poker.  BUZZ!  Sorry, Charlie; no home, no address, no job.  FFFT! That's it.  End of story.

I want to work.  I hate livin' like this: not having any dough 'less someone turns nice and gives me a dollar (or more if they're feelin' extra generous), sleeping in alleyways, digging out of trash cans or Dumpsters for food sources, and praying y'all don't get diarrhea or some other nasty stomach ailment as a result of feasting on such "gourmet" pickings.

Guess it's my own durn fault, really.  I made some bad choices when younger, and so I guess I reap what I sow.  I'm tryin' to turn my life around, but people need to understand something first, right off the bat.  I'm a person too, just like they are.

They could end up in my shoes faster than snot.  If it happened to me, it can happen to anybody.  End of statement.

Now that fall is here, it's time to think of where I will shelter when the weather starts getting chilly again.  It won't be long 'til the cold sets in.  Saw some Canada honkers winging their way south just a little while ago: heard them honkin' up a storm as they flew right overhead.  A majestic sight; I have always loved Canada geese.

I will also start worryin' about people like Goon, who has COPD and needs to be on oxygen.  He would never survive the winter, and he won't if someone doesn't get him some help.  I worry about him when he coughs; it sounds like he's gonna hack up a lung, possibly his liver or a kidney.  It's terrible and sometimes I can't sleep because of the horrible noises he makes when he coughs.

I worry about The Mexican Revolution (aka Chico and Tex Mex), who are both so skinny a good gust of wind could easily topple them over.  They don't have enough meat on their bones to keep 'em warm!

Well, I hate to cut this short, but I'm gonna see if I can land a job.  Wish me luck.  I certainly need it, and prayer would help too!  I know God is looking out after me, but dang, I wish people would do the same and cut me a needed break!  Take care and will write again soon!

~Willie.  :(

~To be continued.~