A Humbling Moment Poem by Charles Beaty

I sat upon a lonely bench letting the night pass by
listening to the murmuring moans behind each shuttered eye
people anonymous with their thoughts invisible out of reach
on conveyor belts of motion a void of sight and speech

lumbering on shuffled shoes in a coat of coal shed black
he loomed into my presence sitting slowly curling back
you could feel his weight relax and sag as if he'd walked for miles
his thick white bearded face then turned releasing toothless smiles

I saw his eyes were gleaming with a joy I can't describe
so I nodded to his warming grin acknowledging his vibe
no two words were spoken as we sat there side by side
just acceptance of each other in the turning of our tide

across the floor a burger bar was closing for the night
the man kept looking straight ahead and then to his delight
a baseball hatted youth appeared with a bag of steaming chips
they both shook hands with kindly pats again no words from lips

before he even took one bite a weathered hand was raised
offering all he had to give a gesture which amazed
a lump hit hard in the back of my throat and tears began to well
as this true person who I'd never met began to cast his spell

Humbling is a sense I'd heard but never really felt
but now in this untimely place my heart began to melt
you see this man had nothing, yet everything was his
a world which had denied him once now accepting of what is