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!