A block away from the office, I passed a sun-dried mountain man, bright blue eyes, scruffy white beard, copper skin. I offered him the change I had in my pocket. ‘How you doin’, buddy?’ He seemed surprised by my speech, and sputtered for words for a moment, before spitting out Appalachian: ‘I thank God that [...]

How do you handle grief when you have nothing — when you don’t even have a bed in which to seek sleepy oblivion?

‘Shit, man. Why’d you come running out like that? That scary as fuck.’