The Man of Ecuador

"I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a child who had no feet." -Chinese proverb



I could tell at first glance he’d lived a tougher life than me
Sitting out on the curb on the side of some street
His eyes were worn but not by pain
More like an old painting that fades with age

His clothes were torn and stained with dirt
And his ribs were visible through the holes in his shirt
He looked at me not with envy or hate
But a look that stuck with me even after I walked away

Is that the emptiness of a life without hope?
How long had his life been on this downward slope?
Had he once had dreams that had since been forgotten?
Why is my life so privileged and his so rotten?

Maybe he knew love but lost it along the way
Or maybe a tragedy had lead his soul astray
How can he still manage a smile when all that he has
Is the breath in his lungs and the clothes on his back

We complain about problems that now seem so distant
We ask for help and get upset when others show resistance
But he asked for no charity, no free hand out of cash
He just shot me a glance as I walked on past

I guess loneliness by choice doesn’t taste so sour
It claims no victim and has no “darkest hour”
Most of what I have I was born into
The simplicity of his life is something I never knew

He has no wants, only needs
We are both human, we both bleed
But sir, how come the sight of your dirty and cracked feet
Doesn’t make you sad like it does me?