This First Person column is the experience of Nicki Clarke, who lives in Regina. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
I found him huddled in a doorway, squatting to avoid sitting on the icy concrete. His broken pipe and empty baggie lay scattered in the snow. He was in that place between consciousness and unconsciousness where the body is somehow still being held up but not strong enough to stop from swaying back and forth. That place where people can speak, but it’s in slow motion and difficult to comprehend.
I spoke to him slowly and
