The Stranger

I see a stranger from my window -
Do I dare to let him in?
Through the driving snow I see his eyes are closed
As he walks against the blowin' wind.

His tattered coat shows exposed skin
Where his sleeves should have been.
Should I cry out?
Would he hear my shout? -
Or would it be lost in the howlin' wind.

I give it some thought
As I think out loud,
But the words are lost within.
I pull the curtain back and again look out,
And wonder what life has done to this man.

I know the danger
Of letting a stranger in,

And I worry of this consequence.
But a soft-spoken voice keeps whispering,
Trying to help me with my choice.

So I say a quick prayer
To God up there - Asking Him,
"What should I do?"
His answer is scriptures I've learned in His Book,
But He tells me, "It's up to you!"

So I make up my mind - And open the door to find -
That the man is nowhere in sight.
I shake off the cold and the blowin' snow,
But I can't shake off the man's anguished cry -
That falls with the darkening sky.

© 1998 Linda G. Macri