The Hated Man Poem by Spock the Vegan

As I left a friend's house one day, I passed by another
where people were gathered outside. Someone
said to me "Mr. Barton wants to see you."
A neighbor whispered to me "It's Bill Barton."

That was a name I had heard before, and knew
that many people despised him. But why?
Was he rude to everyone he met? Did he lie,
cheat, or steal? I had never asked.

I went in through the side door as instructed,
and a family member introduced him to me.
"Are you the guy that fixes radios? " he asked.
"Yes, I am" I said, then he asked, "Do you hate me? "
"I don't know you" I replied, "I don't hate anybody I don't know."

The radio was brought out and showed to me.
It was very old, but had new batteries of the "A",
"B", and "C" variety. "Oh, it's one of those" I said,
"I have a book that tells of them, but never saw one before.
It looks like this battery is about to short out."

I removed and twisted the wires and reattached them,
then said, "For the price of these batteries you
might have bought a new radio."
"I'm dying" he said, "and I like this radio. It has a good sound."
I guessed he had cancer and was in a lot of pain.

I turned on the radio and peered in the back for light
from the vacuum tubes. There was none. I switched it off
and on several times. The tubes lit up. "There we go" I said,
"Switches corrode and working them can scrape off the corrosion."
There was still no sound. I put my ear up to the speaker.
"What are you listening for" he queried.
"Hum, but with batteries there is none."

I tuned the dial, and the local radio station boomed in.
"You're right, this radio does have a good sound." I offered.
"Maybe you could replace the switch? "
"I don't think I can get one for this radio."
"Well, how much do I owe you?
"I don't charge unless I fix it, and I'm not sure I have."
He instructed someone to pay me.

I left, having no more reason to hate the man than before
I arrived. I found out later that he was a veteran, no doubt
emotionally damaged by the ravages of war. Unable to
please his wife, she ultimately left him. Now more damaged
than before, he became a bitter man. We should not judge
a person until we've walked in their shoes. Kindness given
usually returns kindness back to us.