As I left a friend's house one day, I passed by another
where people were gathered outside. Someone
said to me "Mr. Barton wants to see you."
A neighbor whispered to me "It's Bill Barton."
That was a name I had heard before, and knew
that many people despised him. But why?
Was he rude to everyone he met? Did he lie,
cheat, or steal? I had never asked.
I went in through the side door as instructed,
and a family member introduced him to me.
"Are you the guy that fixes radios? " he asked.
"Yes, I am" I said, then he asked, "Do you hate me? "
"I don't know you" I replied, "I don't hate anybody I don't know."
The radio was brought out and showed to me.
It was very old, but had new batteries of the "A",
"B", and "C" variety. "Oh, it's one of those" I said,
"I have a book that tells of them, but never saw one before.
It looks like this battery is about to short out."
I removed and twisted the wires and reattached them,
then said, "For the price of these batteries you
might have bought a new radio."
"I'm dying" he said, "and I like this radio. It has a good sound."
I guessed he had cancer and was in a lot of pain.
I turned on the radio and peered in the back for light
from the vacuum tubes. There was none. I switched it off
and on several times. The tubes lit up. "There we go" I said,
"Switches corrode and working them can scrape off the corrosion."
There was still no sound. I put my ear up to the speaker.
"What are you listening for" he queried.
"Hum, but with batteries there is none."
I tuned the dial, and the local radio station boomed in.
"You're right, this radio does have a good sound." I offered.
"Maybe you could replace the switch? "
"I don't think I can get one for this radio."
"Well, how much do I owe you?
"I don't charge unless I fix it, and I'm not sure I have."
He instructed someone to pay me.
I left, having no more reason to hate the man than before
I arrived. I found out later that he was a veteran, no doubt
emotionally damaged by the ravages of war. Unable to
please his wife, she ultimately left him. Now more damaged
than before, he became a bitter man. We should not judge
a person until we've walked in their shoes. Kindness given
usually returns kindness back to us.
So many people 'hate' without any reason. Why can't they love without any reason?
A very nice story with a good message. Thanks for sharing. 'We should not judge a person until we've walked in their shoes. Kindness given usually returns kindness back to us. '...is so nice.
Thank you all for your kind remarks. I was unable to reply individually due to Poemhunter problems as usual.
Thanks for sharing this touching story. We should all learn to love more, judge not.
Kelly's comment says it very well. Why can't we all just love each other? A very thought-provoking poem. Thanks for posting.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Nice anecdote, Spock. I enjoyed it, and the message at the end. The last two sentences resonate.