"A dollar for my roses"

Tattered clothes upon his shoulders
He walks down the street, mile by mile,
His arms carrying a basket of roses
His face wearing a smile

He runs towards the people
As they shun and turn away
"Will you buy a rose kind mister?"
"Will you buy a rose today?"

"Just a dollar for my roses"
"Two dollars will get you three"
"Will you buy one rose kind mister?"
"Or if better, will you buy three?"

I rummaged through my wallet
I guess I could afford one or two
But what if others stopped to approach me?
I couldn't afford to help everyone else too

So I kept my wallet and turned away

But from the corner of my eye
For a moment that smile just disappeared,
And I thought I heard him cry,

"Just a dollar for my roses"

"Two dollars will get you three"

"Will you buy one rose kind mister?"

"Or if better, will you buy three?"

For he who welcomes these little children
Welcomes me in my name too
For the helpless, homeless, hungry and sick,
I too died for them, As I died for you

For the blessings I have given you,
are not meant for yourself to keep
for I have blessed you for one reason true
To be a blessing, to others you meet

I didn't ask you to help the whole world,
that isn't what I've set out for you
But within your means whatever you can give
Then give, for that, you can do

"A dollar for my roses"
I thought I heard the boy cry out once more
And as I reached into my wallet,
This time I was pretty sure

"Just a dollar for my roses"

"Two dollars will get you three"

"God bless you child," I replied,
"I'll give you five dollars, just for three"

I saw that smile again now full of joy
as he took the money from me
I heard his laughter ring through the air
as he ran down the street with glee

Just five dollars for the little boy,
Just three more roses for me,
for what mere five dollars could mean to me,
could mean the world to him

Tattered clothes upon his shoulders
he ran down the street, mile by mile
"Mama! We can buy milk for sister today"
"And food to last us a while"

"Maybe some medince for papa's cough"
"And clean bandages for your leg"
"For I met a kind stranger in the street"
"Who bought my roses today"

I told him,

"Just a dollar for my roses"
"Or two will you get three"
"But I knew he was a blessing from God"
"When he gave me five dollars for three"

For the suffering kids that are out there
A dollar could mean the world to them

For that much we've tried to help the less fortunate
how far, have we really stretched our hand?

For the world that lives in our riches abound
and our blessings that seem so free,
We could do with more people who would buy more roses

What more,

Kind strangers, who would buy three.

I got this poem from a senior's blog... he wrote this himself... beautiful words that spoke to me... Many a times, we often turn down opportunities to help others even though it is within our means to help them...

How many times have you walked past those old tissues sellers sitting along the pavements without buying?

How many times have you turned down or even shunned those students/ volunteers carrying tin cans asking for donations?

Are we all guilty of these?

Is it a lack of compassion? Is it fear? I know not.

What I do know is that it is so easy to talk about love in church and family, but do you and can you extend this agape love to someone who has got no blood relations with you?
I think I find this difficult. And so, I'm asking Him to teach me how to love. I have not been consistently praying for this, and hence it seems that I'm still where I started - times when a thoughtful poem reveals the state of my heart. But still, I believe that God answers prayer. And one day, I will truly love in kind.