The Unrecognised God Poem by P K Joy

</></>I do remember I have ill-treated you
But I hadn’t recognised you, my Lord.
I couldn’t think that you would ever
Appear to me in deprived guises
Of a beggar, a leper, an AIDS patient,
A hopeless man, a burdened labourer,
A victim of hatred, one deprived of justice,
A widow in rags, a starving orphan,
A depressed addict, a distressed human,
And several more of such lowly forms,
In slums, on footpaths, near temple gates,
Among the destitute and at garbage dumps.
I had thought that you’d regally appear in
Royal robes, riding golden chariot
With trumpets, harps and accompaniments
Played by an army of heavenly angels.

Humble God who dwells in deprived humans!
Help me recognize you in the least of men
And propitiate you through their domains
Instead of searching for you in the distant heaven,
and qualify me to see your face..