on a hot, sunny, summer day
in my car, I stopped on a traffic signal
an old man, must be in his 70s
came running to me, a pile of books in his hands
sweating, loosing his energy in the heat
offering to sell wisdom at a price too cheap
knocked at the window glass of my car
“would you like to buy some good reads young lady”
with no intention to pay him any attention
I simply nodded my head to refuse
he requested kindly, one more time
this time, I looked into his eyes
how moved I was to see a shine there
his silent eyes were narrating a story
choosing not to beg, he chose to earn his glory
even when his weak bones were making him suffer
he had decided to Earn himself his bread and butter
I bought a book from him for just Rs 150
along with the book, came many blessings
he smiled gently at me, as I started to move
his eyes shone with a pleasure divine
as he waved me a pleasant goodbye
his happiness, his smile just made my day
I looked back to see him walk with pride
approaching another young lady in her car
to continue with his journey
offering to sell the wisdom unmatched
mySestina 
This is so beautiful! ❤
Reminds me of an incident that happened a few days ago.
My friend and I were at Subway, ordering our sandwiches.
Just at that moment, an old man came in. He wasn't a beggar, but one could see he was poor. He asked the subway cashier if he could fill his bottle of water. He was very thirsty. The cashier agreed. While he was gone, the old man fiddled with his leg, Apparently it was giving him some trouble.
My friend asked him if he was okay, he said yes. He said that he'd been walking a very long distance and his legs aren't full of energy anymore. He asked us if INR 20 would be enough, he had to get to Gurgaon. It was all he had. We told him it will be enough if he's travelling my metro. The cashier bought this man's bottle back and he decided to leave. Just then, my friend offered to drop him to the metro station. It was 2 pm and the station was about 2 kms away.
The smile on the old man's face was priceless. We dropped him off to the metro station, he blessed us. We tried to give him some more money, asked him to take the auto instead. after all he'd have to walk to his destination once he reaches Gurgaon. But he declined. He blessed us and went off.
Guess sometimes people just need compassion and empathy, not money.
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This is such a beautiful incident my dear. I am proud of you to be compassionate to the old man and at the same time I am proud of the old man to retain his self respect by not accepting money. We need people around him and you my dear. The world will be a stronger and beautiful place to live then. Many thanks for sharing. God bless.
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I especially love the part where he didn’t beg but “he chose to earn his glory”. In my mind, that shows great wisdom there. What a fun and interesting piece.
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Yes my love.. I felt proud of the fact that we have such courageous people around us. Thanks for reading my dear
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Love it
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Very very well written! I absolutely loved it!
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Dear Harshita, Thank you so much. I take pride of such people being around me. they are an inspiration.
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I absolutely agree to that. The most important thing is to get inspired and learn from experience. Nothing beats that.
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True dear
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I love this! very big on books and the wisdom they impart so I liked that idea. there were lots of ideas here, but that’s the one I focused on:)
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I am honored Vincent! I really get inspired to see such people around me. This one is even more special as it focuses on wisdom like you said.
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It’s the stuff of movies, even when the stuff he’s selling might be trite pulp fiction. It’s the human engagement that matters
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Yes, that is a fantastic thing you just said Dermott… human engagement..
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That’s wonderful
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