AS we drove past Westbourne, my wife shed a tear. As many others have done in the past few days when passing the array of floral tributes on the street in memory of Ralph, the homeless man who died 10 days or so ago. She had never met Ralph but, somehow, his death has touched everybody. I’d bought the Big Issue from him once or twice over the years and dodged past, guiltily avoiding eye contact, on several other occasions.

Tomorrow, hundreds of mourners are expected to join a procession to his funeral.

So what was it about this man’s story that has emotionally moved so many? I think the nature of the tragedy has starkly reminded us of the vulnerability of people in our community. And how easy it is to forget that they are there.

I returned this morning to look again at those tributes left to Ralph and spent a quiet few minutes reading the poignant messages.

A note from Michelle, for example, states, “There are no words to express how we feel.”

Helen’s says: “Westbourne will miss you. You were one of us.” Another note simply begins, “You poor man. Rest easy.”

And Enid and George’s message sums up how many feel. It says, “Some people touch your heart and you know not why.”

Among the flowers there’s a poem about sharing responsibility. Someone else has left a loaf of bread. Another, a can of cider. There’s a wreath, too, in the shape of a book, for Ralph loved reading.

And there is a copy of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. It’s a story about dignity and the human spirit. That says it all.