Thanks Mark. You have exactly understood what I was trying to convey, so that makes my day. To me this shot, which I caught on the fly, says so much about the divided nature of the USA. The two white, vibrant young people, walking with purpose and vitality, totally and almost deliberately ignore the lonely and downcast and apparently less fortunate black man as they pass him by. Two solitudes.

I got more an impression of the seated man ignoring the passing couple. He doesn't look particularly down and out. In my neighborhood, the "lonely and downcast" don't have nice benches to sit on.

It is also my experience that the older I get, the more invisible I become. I kind of like it.

However, no argument with Craig and Mark for seeing this the way they do. Mine is just a slightly different perspective.

I agree King,clean clothes,
shined shoes,and I "would " prefer that it was he
who was doing the ignoring.

It is so interesting the different perspectives we can have on the same glimpse of life. I can see your point King, and there is humour to be had in the expressions of the two walking...but to me it is still a sad shot. While the old man on the bench does not appear homeless or destitute, and there is a quiet dignity to his pose, it is a sad posture. AS MYSIGHT comments, life is a box of chocalates, and he didn't get the good ones. And to me the contrast between him and the other two remains strong, and the irrelevance of the old man to the other two is pointed...

But thanks for the comments all.

Now having read the comments, I guess I have to be more specific. I also rated #72 just a few moments ago. In that picture, the status of the down and out person is much more clear.

I can see King's point, because this guy doesn't look particularly happy, but he does seem to be well put together, which suggests perhaps he is not as down on his luck as the lady in #72.

I still like both images for showing me the dichotomy of life though.

@Kadenajack - thanks for the comments. You will have noticed that #72 is mine as well, and I submitted it in large part because of the comments here; it is much less ambiguous about the disparity and divisions I wanted to get at. It featured first, so I guess it was an improvement ;-)

Craig,
My hunch is that "the old man on the bench" is younger than I am, and I'm not old.

After reading the comments, I get what you are trying to capture here Craig. I concentrated too much on her expression which pulled me into the photo. Good work.