The Begging Wealthy Man

Once a man, an elderly 
Was in the sunshine begging
His face was dim and dry to see
Unshaven, unappealing
And as I stared he came to me. 

Trembling hands reached out to me
As I stood there observing
But I did not feel pity, see,
His ugliness emanating
I wished to, from the old man, flee.

From my hands, it fell in his,
A penny, mere, a penny,
He stared at it and saw it is
The most expectable from me
And wondered to the sky, what bliss!

But then as days went by and by
My heart remembered more
It filled my nights with many sighs
Of guilt for being sore
And to myself, I wondered, “Why?” 

But then a friend of mine, I met
Who told me such a story
Of when there was a rich man yet
Who fell to such great misery 
And who’s to know his fate he met?

I wondered, why I hadn’t seen 
The handsome wealthy man behind
The shaggy clothes and eyes so keen. 
Then I went, the fellow, to find,
And smiled at him.. I wasn’t mean.

That little smile was meant to be
A clearly thought apology
For having been so cruelly blind
To how a man can sometimes find
A fate as bad that changes lives!

Copyright © | Year Posted 2012



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Date: 8/2/2012 6:27:00 PM
Congrad's on your win. Light & Love
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Simon Avatar
Stenila Simon
Date: 7/3/2015 11:33:00 PM
Thanks Debbie!!
Date: 8/2/2012 5:05:00 PM
Congratulations on your win, Stenila. Love, Joyce
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Simon Avatar
Stenila Simon
Date: 7/3/2015 11:33:00 PM
Thank you so much Joyce! :)
Date: 8/2/2012 7:22:00 AM
Congrats on your win Stenila...happy for you. - Well done. - Have a lovely day. - oxox // Anne-Lise :)
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Stenila Simon
Date: 8/2/2012 8:03:00 AM
Thank you so much annelise for your kind comments!
Date: 8/2/2012 5:29:00 AM
Congratulations on your 4th place win in Cyndi's 'You Do Understand" contest Stenila. Love, Carol
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Simon Avatar
Stenila Simon
Date: 8/2/2012 6:25:00 AM
Thank you, It's such an honor!
Date: 8/1/2012 11:49:00 PM
Stenila,, congratulations with your wonderful win in Cyndi's contest... xox~PD
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Simon Avatar
Stenila Simon
Date: 8/2/2012 6:25:00 AM
Thank you so much for your support everyone!
Date: 7/18/2012 8:54:00 AM
There is a lot of excellence in this poem, but it sounds unfinished. You need a concluding stanza that either sums it up, or reflects on the meaning of the meeting. I hope you'll seize the moment, here. -Dean
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Simon Avatar
Stenila Simon
Date: 7/18/2012 11:21:00 AM
Thank you so much, Robert! That's just the kind of advice I was looking for. I also thought there was something missing, but couldn't quite figure out what. Thank you again so much for your wonderful advice! I'll make it better and post it and I hope you come again to read the new better version!
Date: 7/18/2012 8:46:00 AM
Great story! ~Tammy~
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Simon Avatar
Stenila Simon
Date: 7/18/2012 11:22:00 AM
Thanks a lot Tammy!
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