I Saw An Old Man Even Older Than Me Poem by Shalom Freedman

I SAW AN OLD MAN EVEN OLDER THAN ME

I saw an old man even older than me
I at first tried for him not to see me
Contempt and pity were my first instinct
But then he stopped and asked me the Time
A human being must always be kind
And being kind I saw him again
And answered eagerly as if to a friend
And he now a human because recognized
Humbly thanked his fellow creature
And resumed limping his way through his day
As I chastened and subdued
Went a bit more humbly through mine.