Woman who sees the same homeless man every day is surprised when he reveals his identity
She learned that the man who slept on the pavement had an incredible gift.
Little Things reported on the fascinating story behind the documentary The Conditioned, which is based on the life of an underprivileged poet and philosopher.
A homeless man in his seventies by the name of Raimundo Arruda Sobrinho had been living on the street for 35 years.
He looked ragged in his tattered clothes and messy hair, but nobody noticed what he did sitting outside his crude shelter all day.
In 2011, a woman named Shalla was intrigued by the old man and his ways, and she was curious why Raimundo always had a pen and paper in his hand.
Shalla interacted with the homeless man, and soon, he handed her one of his notes. Shalla was surprised to find that it was a touching poem written by Raimundo.
Stunned by the sheer brilliance of Raimundo, Shalla shared many of his poems on a dedicated social media page.
Soon, she began discovering more information about Raimundo online. The man who had been living like a homeless outcast was, in fact, a Brazilian philosopher and poet.
Raimundo’s life took a tragic turn in the seventies, and he was forced to live on the streets, sue to which his writings remained unpublished and unappreciated by the public.
The social media page started gaining huge followership and currently has more than 100,000 followers.
When some fans learned about Raimundo’s plight, they looked for him, visited him and offered him presents that would help him live a better life.
He continued writing and soon discovered that one of his fans was his own brother, who had been away from him for several years.
The brother was thrilled to have found Raimundo and immediately invited him to live in his home. Raimundo gladly accepted, and since then, his life and his personality have undergone a major transformation.
While Raimundo now lives a normal life with his family, he and Shalla remain close friends.