The Bum
One beautiful day, I was on my merry way
And I was almost late to work
That’s when I saw a bum and he was eating crumbs
And I didn’t want to be a jerk
So, I said to him “Sir, I don’t want to bother but can
You tell me please”
I didn’t want to go near him for fear that he had
A disease
He had holes in his clothes and matted cornrows
And they were salt and pepper
He had snot in his nose and I supposed
That he was a leper
His eyes were yellow
His teeth were brown
He smoked a cigarillo and
He drank a fifth of Crown
“Sir, can you tell me a little
About your pain
I’ll play my fiddle when you sleep
In the rain
Where do you go when the insects swarm?
And when it’s cold
Who keeps you warm?
And when you’re hungry
Do you eat out of the trash?
And who gives you ointment
When you get a rash?
If you have no money
Then you have no power
You offend society
Because you can’t take a shower
Please, Mr. Wendell
Why are you so strange?
Are you insane, mentally ill, or
Completely deranged?”
He asked, “My child can you spare some change?”
“I’ve been on the streets for awhile
And I have no name
I sit here waiting and waiting for mankind’s humanity
Giving people ample chances to avoid
Their own calamity
I came to you broken
And you still pass me by
You think you’re so much better than me
You don’t care if I die
I test you everyday
By begging you for a penny
You say that I use drugs and then
You buy my sandwich from Denny’s
Your compassion is missing
In the Bermuda Triangle
The whole time you’re dissing
One of God’s brightest angels
I test you to bless you
So your cup will run over
But you laugh and spit at me
And turn the world even colder
So, the next time you see a bum
You should be so wise
To give him a dollar
And let him entertain you
Because he’s an angel in disguise”
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