Compassion in Action

Daily life has a way of calling us to compassion, or to the realization of our lack of compassion.  The following poem was inspired by an experience in San Francisco over twenty years ago.

CITY TAMALE PARLOR

Evening brought you

With bucket of flowers

Into the tiny café

Would it have mattered much

To have bought even a single rose

To you it would have

You were my age and

Worn by hard work

A simple cotton dress

Covered by a coat too small to close

Why did I not at least

Hold the door open for you

As you struggled out against its gravity

Why was I glued to my seat

Immobilized as if watching a movie

Angel among us

Forgive my numbness

One bouquet please

• Jackie Freitas