Written By Grace Atherton July 27, 2023

A Mile In His Shoes

The first time I saw him he was new in the town,

No one knew where he came from or where he was going,

They whispered gossip to each other,

I thought why not introduce myself.

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The next time I saw him he was barely wearing a few stitches of clothes,

He looked cold and ashamed,

Around I saw everyone stare,

He needed to be given something warm to wear.

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The next time I saw him he was behind bars,

He was paying his time in a cell,

Alone without a friend he looked tired,

In a jumpsuit it looked like a rough place without immediate bail.

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After that, he was released,

Starving on the corner of a street,

His frame looked like it could use some meat,

I only heard an inaudible mumble when I asked if he needed food.

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The next time I saw him he was in an alley,

Beside him was a lot of broken pieces of glass,

It was a warm day and I was unsure,

If he was sleeping or overheated.

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The following time I saw him, he was sick in a hospital bed,

He was tired and feeling bad,

I hardly recognized him in so much pain,

He seemed to carry deep hurt inside everyone of his veins.

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I realized then when the doctor appeared shaking his head,

That his time on earth was nearing the end,

Although now it was too late, what he’d needed all along was…

A welcome, a visit, clothes, food, water and nursing hands.

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He might have been the least likely person to succeed in life, 

But maybe if you looked close enough you’d recognize,

The greatest human to ever walk the face of the earth,

That is if you could imagine walking a mile in his shoes.

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“What you have done to the least of these you have done to me.” -JESUS