Acts of Kindness

Acts of Kindness

A pile of rags in the backyard shifted,

A movement that caught old hermit Joe’s eye.

He’d moaned about how last night’s snow drifted,

Deep enough to make a younger man cry.

The children in town knew old hermit Joe,

And often would help him shovel his walk.

He was kind to them, never made them go,

And he listened when they wanted to talk.

So grabbing a shovel for self-defense,

He plodded through drifts to investigate.

As he drew close to his old picket fence,

The pile of old rags stood up, tall and straight.

Twas a man whose face could be any age,

Dressed in a costume of patches and rags:

Flashing a smile any pain could assuage,

His feet wrapped in cloth and old plastic bags.

He cradled an instrument on his arm,

Extending his other arm in greeting.

Joe asked the rag man inside to get warm,

And added kindness to the strange meeting.

The rag man accepted a cup of tea,

And a slice of buttered banana bread.

They sat and chatted most amiably,

Until Joe felt something odd in his head.

The rag man changed right before old Joe’s eyes:

His rags now a coat of bright red and green,

His voice now a chorus from twilight skies,

His eyes bright as any stars he’d seen.

The Minstrel stood tall and sang songs of love.

His instrument glowed with a bright green fire.

His song told of beautiful fields above,

And Joe felt his spirit lifting higher.

Because Joe’s spirit was loving and kind,

The Minstrel made sure he’d not die alone.

Joe’s body, abandoned, was left behind.

In only a moment, they both were gone.

The Minstrel returned a moment later,

And he moved Joe’s body into the sun.

He bowed to Joe as to one much greater;

Just before he left, he dialed 9-1-1.

Mick McKellar
August 2014

There is nothing so precious in this world as kindness to children or a stranger in need.

Mick