Very realistic and emotional.

Sad yet realistic portrayal of a bleak life with little hope.

I like the present tense . Very emotional as Alexa said. I’ll think of your ficlet next time I am in Philly as I give a quarter to a homeless person.

some of our homeless have made a career of it around here, they make good money. Your homeless man seems very realistic, though. Good writing! Paints a bleak picture.

this sounds like a weird compliment, but, I like your sentence structure!
; ))