I'm a lucky ex-hobo.

I used to live in the woods with a homeless man. When he died, some people took him away, and I was left on my own for a long time. Fortunately those days are over for me. Unfortunately they're not over for lots of dogs, cats, and people.

M says that when he was a kid, homeless folks were known as hobos and that they sometimes moved around the country by hitching rides in railroad freight cars--or often underneath them! This might sound glamorous, romantic, and even fun. But I think it's most likely just miserable and dangerous and I wouldn't recommend it.

Here's a good song about hobos. It was written by a man named Goebel Reeves and made popular by many folksingers, especially one named Woody Guthrie. This particular version is sung by Woody's son, Arlo. I hope it will help you see that homelessness, whatever you name its victims, is a terrible thing. Contrary to popular belief, it's not a lifestyle most of them choose for themselves, but one that's been forced on them through bad luck. If you are living in comfort, please do whatever you can to help those who are not.

(To see the bigger version at YouTube, click here.)