As I Sat Sadly By Her Side

As I sat sadly by her side At the window, through the glass She stroked a kitten in her lap And we watched the world as it fell past Softly she spoke these words to me And with brand new eyes, open wide We pressed our faces to the glass As I sat sadly by her side She said, "Father, mother, sister, brother, Uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, Soldier, sailor, physician, labourer, Actor, scientist, mechanic, priest Earth and moon and sun and stars Planets and comets with tails blazing All are there forever falling Falling lovely and amazing" Then she smiled and turned to me And waited for me to reply Her hair was falling down her shoulders As I sat sadly by her side As I sat sadly by her side The kitten she did gently pass Over to me and again we pressed Our different faces to the glass "That may be very well", I said "But watch the one falling in the street See him gesture to his neighbours See him trampled beneath their feet All outward motion connects to nothing For each is concerned with their immediate need Witness the man reaching up from the gutter See the other one stumbling on who can not see" With trembling hand I turned toward her And pushed the hair out of her eyes The kitten jumped back to her lap As I sat sadly by her side Then she drew the curtains down And said, "When will you ever learn That what happens there beyond the glass Is simply none of your concern? God has given you but one heart You are not a home for the hearts of your brothers And God does not care for your benevolence Anymore than he cares for the lack of it in others Nor does he care for you to sit At windows in judgement of the world He created While sorrows pile up around you Ugly, useless and over-inflated" At which she turned her head away Great tears leaping from her eyes I could not wipe the smile from my face As I sat sadly by her side