Content Poem by Goddy Nana Mens

Of all the virtues of long and yore
Content is perhaps the greatest of all
And if this once, I did not know
I am glad Life has taught me so
Content is walking past the man in the wheelchair
Watching the blind man in the portrait
Buying from a hawker from your old man's truck
And uttering those simple words, "Keep the change."
Content is taking a midday stroll through my town
A silent walk through the harsh reality of another world
Gap-toothed floors
Croaking doors
Rotting sills
Walls filled with crooked smiles
Dirty faces
Broken heels
Naked children
Children huddled at the feet of Mother like a mass of despair
Reeking kitchens
Sunken roofs
Bony unlucky pets
The air dense with choking gloom
Content is four limbs, vision and speech
Your parents' life, your country's peace and good sleep
Content is watching the little birds fly
The perfect beauty of the blue sky
And the eternal knowledge that the Lord is alive
Content is when nightmares are only in your head
When you awake each morning in your bed
When fear is only inspired by a book
And every corner is a blessed nook
Content is the peace that makes a house a home
The purging tune that keeps the heart pure
Living music that keeps the soul alive
And the golden bolt that bars Evil from the mind
Content is naught but a single thought
That anytime you wished you were somebody
You remember somebody wished he were you.