Judge Not Hastily! Poem by Angelina Pandian

Don’t! Don’t ever look down upon a man
Just because he’s covered with dust,
He might’ve just risen up
From prostrating before God.
Don’t! Don’t ever look down upon a man
Just because his hair is unkempt,
Matted, dry – without oil
He might’ve used it to bind
The wounds of some helpless being.
Don’t! Don’t ever look down upon a man
Just because he’s ill clad
He might’ve given his clothes to another
Lying naked in the streets.
Don’t! Don’t ever look down upon a man
Just because he’s bruised and bleeding
He might’ve received his wounds
In defending some human right.
Don’t! Don’t ever draw your own conclusions
Don’t ever hastily decide without the facts
Don’t ever refuse to help or pleasingly smile,
The one sitting next to you in such serious thought
Might even be thinking of ending his life!
Your kindly smile maybe the door
To his second chance with life.
Be open, willing to accept and to trust
Don’t! Don’t ever look down upon a man
It could sometimes be –
God in the guise of Man.