A Holy Man

A young merchant was
Traveling through a new district.
Feeling tired, he decided to
Sit at the side of the road
Under an old tree.

From where he sat,
He saw an old man
Traveling up the road
Towards him.

The old man's clothes
Were old and worn,
He did not carry much
Just a small bag, but
It was obvious that
He had traveled far.

"Good tidings, young man,"
The old man greeted
As he approached
The young merchant.

"Good tidings, sir,
Are you from this district?"
Asked the curious merchant.

"Oh, no, I am from
A distant land, making
My way to Mecca,"
Answered the old man
Coming to a stop.

"Will you sit with me
And rest for a while?
I would love to hear
About you land,"
Said the young man.

The old man obliged
And say next to the man.
Not many people had
Given him such attention
Or showed such interest.

Time passed with both men
Sharing tales of their time
On the road. They laughed
And chided each other,
Soon becoming friends.

It was time for them
To go their separate ways,
And as they were saying
Their goodbyes,
The old man asked,
"Which would you rather be,
Rich or happy?"

The young merchant
Thought for a while
Then spoke,
"I would like to be rich."

Seeing the frown on
The old man's face, he continued,
"I want to be rich because
I am already happy."

"My happiness is not something
Given to me by someone else,
It is something created by me,
Borne from within
The depths of my being."

"Everyday, I wake up
And I choose to be happy
And no one can take
That choice away from me."

The old man nodded
In understanding.
He wished the young man
A good journey and
Continued on his.

As he walked to Mecca,
The old man thanked Allah
For putting a holy man
On his path and for
Teaching him, an old man,
An important lesson.

We are bestowed
The great gifts of
Free will and choice,
We should use
These gifts wisely and
Choose to live well.


Submitted to imaginary garden with real toads and dVerse Poets