The Old Man Down The Lane....

Sitting on my balcony I see the silent breeze sway;

There moves a flight of albatross all along the bay

Sipping a cuppa coffee I think of all the good times;

Energizing my soul with every tinkle of the chimes

My eyes fell on the roadside cobbler sitting in his small hut;

Weaving and polishing shoes with all the threads and guts

He was an old man in his late seventies with wrinkles on his face;

He sat amidst the various shoes, brushes, polishes and lace

His eyes were sunken and his body was aged;

but his will to work was strong and felt caged

His art of shoe making was amazing;

as his fervor to make new shoes was blazing

He made shoes and sandals of many colours and hues;

Ranging from formal black, brown to jazzy greys, red and blues

He lived all alone and worked hard all day;

Tensions and worries for him were all at bay

He sang sweet hymns and prayed to God in praise;

Even if he earned a rupee or got a little raise

He lived with simplicity and merriment;

Even if his earnings were low he had all the contentment

A rich guy came in his BMW to mend his shoe;

The old man quickly mended it with thread and glue

"Two rupees Sir", said the old man;

The rich guy took a 500 rupee note and placed it in the old mans hand

The old man said,"No sir this is too much for me";

"This much money will not let me be happy"

"I do not want to loose my peace of mind"

"Which with so much money is impossible to find"

At this gesture the rich guy was surprised

"Take these 2 rupees and off I go!", he cried

A smile was seen on the face of the old man;

The rich guy drove away in his car flinging a Pepsi can

I kept on looking at the old man;

As he continued singing sweet hymns turning on his table fan

My heart was filled with more respect for him looking at his simplicity;

He was so happy in spite of his poverty.........................