he walked down the road
the same lonely road
his sandals knew by heart
he saw pain and joy
despair and hope
as he looked into the
eyes of the people
he could see the generosity
in the greedy man’s soul
and the brilliance in
the mind of a fool
he finally saw
to the innermost layer
of the people around him
the hate
the cruelty
the lack of common decency
was only a mask
one they didn’t even know they wore
no matter how terrible or heartless
those around him seemed
he knew he could never judge them
because in truth all anyone wants
is to love and be loved

From my book Conversations in secret