Ode To a Mendicant

He owned no fabled treasures Nor the kingdom of a king, No horses or elephants Nor a catapult or a sling. He said he owned the blue skies Birds, animals & the trees, Heavens had legated them With its rivers & the seas. Not a thread on his bare back Belongings a pleasant smile, He carried it far & wide When he walked the barefoot mile. Taken for a mendicant Who had no home nor a stead, He never owned a penny Cared not for water or bread. He greeted townsfolk like he Greeted the thunder & rain, Oblivious to comforts So immune to loss and gain. He blessed every passer-by He blessed every beast on road, He prayed for shrubs & blossoms He prayed for the yew tree's load. There were times children taunted Strangers took him for some thief, Housemaids were suspicious And they refused him relief. He knew 'twas his attire Bony frame & beard long, No curses spilled his parched lips Except for an ominous song - Oh mortal seek not treasures! This world is a mystic inn, Be snared not by vanity For the heavens lie within. A handful still adored him Yet most over passed him by, He wished them all his choicest Blessings that heavens imply. One dark day he went away And then was seen not again, Known lanes and pathways he trod Seemed bare in the sun & rain. Folks longed for benediction Saintly songs & hymns he sang, His gentle smote on doorways That in blessed echoes rang. Been eons, now folks say that - He was an angel in guise, They lament at their naivete Long it took them to be wise. Now they've cast a sepulcher And call it the - Seer's Gate, Townsfolk line up for blessings So that their pains may abate. Call it mirthful mockery Or ironic mankind's fate, For they fathom life backwards Discern it never on date. ***********