A Diamond In the Rough

A Diamond In The Rough A great coat of wool, wrapped the old man, as his only home A treasure, a badge of courage, shield against the freeze Found it in a dumpster near the mission while fishing for some food Searching also for himself down in the refuse A diamond in the rubble Was this a man at all? An ancient relic of the past, Ill, with no reason to go on World and wardrobe gray as his day of birth He meanders down the road, dirty and uncivilized Rejected by society as being less than civil in their eyes He stumbled into town one night at last light fading A stately lady dropped her purse outside the restaurant Engaged in conversation with acquaintances, oblivious to the loss The old gray man by chance Found it but did not abscond with it There, returned it promptly The dainty lady drew a gun hidden in her pocket Shot him dead on the spot and screamed “One less curse upon humanity!” As he fell on her, returned her purse and sighed, “You’re welcome.” 6/22/14 Diamond In The Rough contest entry