Children of Dust, Midnight Sighing of the Poor

CHILDREN OF DUST

MIDNIGHT SIGHING OF THE POOR

Looking at Homelessness, Poverty, and Urban Decay Dr. Gregory Lawton

Children of Dust, Midnight Sighing of the Poor – Looking at Homelessness, Poverty, and Urban Decay A Collection of Photographs from the Work of Dr. Gregory T. Lawton First Edition, November 2012, Revised 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission from Gregory T. Lawton. Copyright 2012, Revised 2017

Dr. Gregory T. Lawton 2040 Raybrook Street SE Suite 104 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546 616-464-0892

O CHILDREN OF DUST! Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.

Bahá’u’lláh The Persian Hidden Words (From the Bahá’í Writings)

“accept no imitations”

Cardboard Only

Go Cubs!

We Were Soldiers Once….

Horn of Plenty

Lunch Time!

Urban Warrior

Beneath the shadow of the wings of Thy mercy shelter me, for all mine adversaries with one consent have fallen upon me.

Bahá’u’lláh Prayers and Meditations

by Bahá’u’lláh

Urban Camouflage

Model Behavior

Just Passing By

Urban Art in Black and White

Motel 6

Power to the People

High Hopes

Hooded in the Shadows

“Just Tell My Family I’m OK”

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

“I Just Need Insulin, Man.”

“Too Cold to Be Out Here.”

“We’re Mov’n, We Are Just Not Moving Fast Enough.”

Hopelessness

Better to be ignorant of worldly concerns, better to be mad and flee from self-interest, better to drink poison and spill the water of life, better to revile those who praise you, and lend both the capital and the interest to the poor, forgo safety and make a home in danger.

Sacrifice your reputation and become notorious.

I have tried caution and forethought; from now on I will make myself mad.

Rumi

Sea of Despair

Thou seest me in the midst of a sea of despair and of hopelessness, after Thou didst cause me to hear Thy words "Despair not."

Bahá’u’lláh Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Spare Change

For Sale, Good TV Reception

Discount Gas

Prosperity Station

Treasure Island

Window to the Future

New Deal

Fractured Society

The Political Solution

It is Just Not Work’n

One Way

What madness to expect hopelessness to become peace, to expect despair to promote peace, to expect poverty to produce peace, to expect deprivation to build peace, to expect homelessness to foster peace to expect these social diseases to lead to peace on earth.

As a flame needs fuel, the human spirit needs hope and opportunity.

“We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, soretried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician.”

Bahá’u’lláh Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

About the author –

Dr. Gregory T. Lawton is a writer and the author of over two hundred books. He is an award winning artist and photographer.

Looking at Homelessness, Poverty, and Urban Decay

Copyright 2012, Revised 2017

Dr. Lawton has been a member of the Baha’i Faith since 1970 and follows the Faith’s principles related to the promotion of world unity and peace.