The art of homelessness: a number of articles have been written by a handful of decent writers on the subject of homelessness, but no one to my knowledge has covered this gross national tragedy by purposely walking in the shoes of the vagabond

Humanist, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Buffalo Latham

And now that this article is done, I'll shuffle my stinky been-sleeping-in-the-trunk body back out to the four-door Honda Civic where a wonderful woman, who is now on the verge of a total breakdown, sleeps. And I'll go to the hotel where I've put my last bit of money down on a room so that she and I can have a shower and slumber in a real bed. It feels unfair, though, that I should have a bed just because I have a family to loan me money and am healthy and smart enough to work. After all, were it not for that lifeline, my few weeks could have become the rest of my days.

Buffalo Latham is a rogue journalist who has spent the last decade traveling throughout the continental United States, collecting the opinions of people from all walks of life, and writing for newspapers. He has hitchhiked, hopped freight trains, and even flown in the Goodyear blimp. Presently he is working on a book.