At the Temple’s Gate
The lightning cracked, the sky tore apart,
A jagged scream that rattled my heart.
The wind beat hard, the rain cut like knives,
Yet I felt no fear, no tremor of lives.
My clothes clung wet, my hair stuck to my face,
I wandered aimless through the storm’s embrace.
Somehow, I reached a threshold small and bare,
A temple doorway, though I hardly cared.
But tonight I didn’t seek the shrine or prayer,
I wanted to sit where broken hearts share.
A tiny girl, her mother near,
On a small doorway, stripped of cheer.
No roof, no bed, no bread to break,
Yet love ran deep for its own sake.
I joined them low, the lowest I could see,
Where the world above would never notice me.
The mother fed her child with hands so kind,
Though life gave them little, their hearts were aligned.
No riches, no comforts, no home to claim,
Yet in that doorway, love lit a flame.
All my life, I had asked for none,
Parents, friends, a place under the sun.
I hid my tears, wiped others’ eyes,
Smiled through storms, through silent cries.
Love had been fleeting, rarely stayed,
It came and left, a ghostly parade.
So I gave, I bore, I stayed unseen,
Hid my own pain, kept my heart clean.
A man approached, carrying a plate,
But he glanced at my bag, my drenched state.
He faltered, apologized, unsure, afraid,
And I saw how small fears are made.
(Because of a world so quick to take offense)
I whispered softly, “There is no blame,
I sit here by choice, not to shame.”
Yet even kindness can be misread,
Even hearts can tremble, even dread.
I gave the mother some coins, small and few,
A gesture of care, from me to you.
Not home, not mine, yet it felt complete,
A spark of warmth in the cold, wet street.
"I could see the world above, but it could not see me"
Through storms, through tears, through lonely hours,
Through hidden pain and life’s lost powers,
I learned that love asks nothing, waits,
It grows quietly, opens hidden gates.
I watched the mother’s smile, the little one bloom,
And the weight of the world lifted its gloom.
Love does not need riches, beds, or home,
It needs only hearts, wherever we roam.
I left that place, heart heavy, soul stirred,
Carrying the truth, without a word.
I walked away, but not to a home,
For I had never had one to call my own.
And though the world would never know my name,
And no one could return the love I gave,
No arms to hold me, no heart to nest,
But I'll still believe in LOVE
For love, once seen, would always remain.
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