Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8424  Plough Quarterly • Spring 2016 Ruth 54 I saw Ruth standing on a busy corner near a thrift store, with a sign asking for money. She was squinting into the morning sunlight. Her face was etched with so much tough living. I introduced myself as an artist and asked if she’d let me do her portrait. She agreed, but seemed nervous, so I thanked her again, then took her photo quickly so that she could get back to what she was doing. I learned nothing about her. Bella 7 While I spoke with her mother, Bella played with her older sister and younger brother. Their happiness was contagious  –  a stark contrast to their history. Bella’s mother grew up homeless. Raised by a gang in Los Angeles, she married early. She told me her husband was very violent, so one night she took the three chil- dren and escaped. They found their way to San Diego, where they live on the streets and in shelters. In the future I plan to create more portraits of women and children who are homeless and unsupported. The children have no say, no choice in regard to their circumstances, and often this life is all they have ever known.