Appearances

A man walked by today,
And people who were near,
Turned their faces away,
Or gave him a sneer.
His face was ugly,
He walked with a limp.
His expression was surly.
No one could like this gimp.
His face carried the scar
From who knows what pox.
His hair was black as tar,
HIs head shaped like a box.
His scowl was terrible to see.
He walked by with nary a greeting.
He looked like a man filled with cruelty.
He wouldn't go to a friendly meetingt.
His clothes were little more than rags.
From him there came an awful smell.
Under his eyes there were bags.
He lookedl ike he'd come from Hell.
A little girl in a ragged pink dress
Fell in front of him, crying.
He paused and gave her cheek a gentle caress
While we stood there staring.
"What's the matter, little one?"
he asked in a quiet tone.
"My mommy's gone,
And I can't find my way home."
He gave her his big hand.
Her small one fit inside.
He helped her to stand,
And wiped away the tears she'd cried.
"I'll take you where you need to go.
There's a police station nearby.
They'll help you, you know.
Please don't cry."
He led her away,
And in that moment we could see,
And to this very day,
We still know how deceiving appearances can be.