by Basil Fernando
[June 02, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka Guardian ]
An old man with a big beard
Sat near heaven’s gate,
Generously offering places
For all who passed by,
Asking but a few questions.
A new-comer arrives,
Wonders who this old man is,
Remembers a picture of a look-like,
Doubts his own imagination.
The old man asks him
Sir, do you remember the story
Of “A certain man who was going down
from Jerusalem to Jericho?”
Yes, says the new-comer,
But what about it?
The old man smiles, “what do you think
Of the Samaritan?”
“That Samaritan is a credulous fool,”
Says the new-comer.
“What would you do,
If you were to pass by that road
And see the man fallen by the road-side,”
asked the old man.
“I would be very skeptical”
Says the new-comer.
“There surely must have been others
Who saw the man
And did nothing.
Were they not wise and kind?
Why should I
Ignore such popular silence?”
“Your skepticism, the old man said,
Is like a shield covering your conscience.”
“Skepticism is wisdom’
Said, the new-comer
and laughed; “what is wisdom,
what is conscience, anyway?”
The old man pointed a finger to his eye,
Saying , “here my son. ”
And the new-comer saw a tear
In the old man’s eye.
“That my son is wisdom and that my son
Is conscience; he paused…
Someday, when you understand that
You may come back here,”
As the new-comer
Turned to go back.
( W.J. Basil Fernando is a Sri Lankan born jurist, author, poet, human rights activist, editor. He can be reached at basil.fernando@ahrc.asia)
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