I was passing through a town
When I saw a little girl,
With a bow tied in her hair,
Feeding a dog skinny and bald,
And I smiled with hope renewed.
But then I saw, in that same little town,
An older girl, with make-up smeared
Across her face in a garish display,
And a shadowy figure leading her
Into a car that stole her innocence,
And a part of me died inside.
But as I walked, in that same little town,
I saw a woman sheltering kids
Who had no other place to go.
She tied bows in their hair
And fed them warm food,
And I smiled in my heart.
But then I saw, in that same little town,
An older woman, her face turned down
In shame at the whispers
That caused her fingers to be bare
And her house to be empty.
But then I saw, in that same little town,
An old lady, with a crinkly smile on her face,
In a soup kitchen with men and women,
With bows in their hair, serving warm food
And she looked at me and said,
"Stranger, I have seen you five times now.
Won't you have this bowl of soup?
And a warm place to sleep?"
And I, Death, respectfully accepted and said,
*"Yes, if you are ready."