DOES ANYONE CARE
The bus was warm and crowded that day
In a city strange and far away.
Faces grim and closed- not an eye returned
A glance from a stranger sitting there
So she turned her face and out the window looked.
The road she was traveling seemed so forlorn,
Devoid of the beauty she’d hoped to see.
The urban landscape was bare and brown,
Dismal shacks with weeds o’ergrown
In place of the homes with lawns lush and green
She’d expected in this place of once she’d dreamed.
Ahead was a stand – hamburgers it sold -
But what caught her eye was a man so old.
His beard was grizzled and shades of grey,
His face was gaunt, his body stooped.
He carried a sign and she wondered just what it said.
The answer to her unspoken question
Was given when the bus pulled over.
The old man pulled himself up – eyes downcast.
The shirt he wore was torn and stained
And his trousers hung from his bony frame.
The sign he held said “I work for food.”
Her body went cold – chilled by a sudden gloom.
The things she saw filled her heart with dread.
Not an eye looked up.
Not a word was said.
She watched the man from the back of the bus
And looked at the others who sat between.
His eyes had once been a brilliant blue,
But now were dead and filled with doom.
She caught a glimpse of a man who knew
His days were numbered – no one to care-
And she wondered what had brought him there.
The city was placed at the ocean’s edge.
The sun shone warm and the breeze was balmy.
From the place she came – the land of ice and snow,
Those in want were oft found froze.
She’d pictured this place in her hopes and her dreams
And thought it would give a life of ease.
As these thoughts passed through her mind’s eye,
The bus pulled over and the man stood up.
The trousers grimy and stained with grease
Fell to his ankles and every face
Turned from his plight in utter disdain.
She waited for a moment while the old man struggled
Unable to stand and hide “HIS” disgrace.
When no man moved she uttered a sound
Of total disgust and jumped up with a bound.
Moved past the others who sat by uncaring,
To the man whose pain she felt she was sharing.
She pulled up his pants to provide him some dignity,
Sat him down on his seat and was filled with humility,
That she’d waited so long before intervening.
She helped the man compose himself,
Placed a bill in the pocket of his coat so worn,
And watched as down the steps he went.
She returned to her seat and looked at the people she passed,
But not an eye returned her glance.
God gives us a chance on many a day
To help another if only we’ll play
The hero for a moment and stand up and face
Our own fears of standing firmly in place
For right and for justice in this time and space.
The comfort we give is not counted in gold,
But solace and hope for the growth of our soul.
To stand by and watch as we suffer in pain
Gives growth to the darkness that lurks in this place.
When we stand and do what’s right
We then can shield ourselves with light.
put a bubble of love around the soul that’s seeking
Relief from the pain of daily living.
That’s all that is needed and all we must do
To know that in the dramas unfolding each day
We lived for what’s right with Love and Peace and Grace.
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