HUMBLED

Come take my hand he said with a sigh,
I was startled at first by the depth of his eyes.
His voice like honey, a rich amber tone
words oozed from his mouth hit my heart like a stone.
What have you to show for the blessings bestowed,
do you feel you had no price to pay?
Did you possibly think that you'd win the game
without actually having to play?
How many times did you give to the poor,
or feed the hungry or lean...
did you hold a sick child that wasn't your own,
or give shelter to one without means?
When did you last step out of yourself
into another's worn shoes?
Have you offered a prayer for a crumpled old soul
whose tragedies never made new?
Did you pleasure from seeing another in pain,
hurt someone's feeling without care to explain?
"I'm sorry" he said "I cannot make exception"
"I must send you back for better perception".
Shaken and shamed I turned from the light
through the tunnel of darkness I ran...
The Angel of Death on the edge of my mind,
a white feather of Hope in my hand.