Vagrant makes his extraordinary mark
The unanticipated act of a man whose worldly possessions add up to the clothes on his back has inspired a sense of wonderment and admiration in Vryheid.
This week, Vryheid’s voters made their mark on the ballot paper, while one of the town’s vagrants left a different kind of mark…
His mark was neither tick nor cross, but heart shaped, made with bird feed instead of ink, and it wasn’t left on paper, but on the low walls that surround the Vryheid police station.
In the build up to Election Day, the promises made by ambitious politicians were greeted with widespread skepticism in the community. However, the unanticipated act of kindness and service from a man whose worldly possessions add up to the clothes on his back, and whatever he salvages from the rubbish, has inspired a sense of wonderment and admiration among those who came upon it.
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Vryheid SAPS communications officer, Captain Cheryl Venter, said the homeless person, who is frequently seen pottering around the plants in front of the charge office, must have chanced upon a bag of grain.
“He used the grain to make heart shapes along the wall, where the plants are growing, and placed the bottom part of a 500ml plastic cooldrink bottle filled with water, alongside each heart that he ‘drew’ with grain,” said Captain Venter.
Clearly a nature lover, the vagrant had taken the initiative, not only to beautify the front of the police station, but to offer food and water to the birds that may be drawn to the plants, as well.
If a man, who has so little for himself, can still think of ways to make a meaningful contribution to society, imagine what everyone else could accomplish with the same creativity and compassion.
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