On a bustling road in a marketplace
'Twas a man with a strange tint in his gaze
Not a meal nor a bath nor a touch in days
All around him stands a circle of space

People pass, people stare
They cuss and spit, draw their children away
"He'll catch you in your sleep," they say,
"And with a butcher's knife, you he'll slay."

Beneath the blankness that clouds his face
A gnawing sorrow deeply lay
Tender touch and warmth he craved
Like a leper yearns another face

On that very street another man strode
Ostentatiously was he lavishly spruced
His pockets full, and so his suit
All around him haughtiness stood

People pass, people stare,
Their envious eyes sparkle in respect
"Be this man, my son, when you are old,
"With riches and wealth, all anguish you'll slay."

'neath his pompous demeanor an emptiness hid
No possessions nor gold could satiate it
Yet carnal desires gnaw his mind
A poison that clouds his sagacity

Came a kindly man with gentle eyes
A royal glow in a humble dress
Tears on his face and scars on his back
All around him floats a circle of peace

He knelt before them and lovingly said,
"I'll take your burden, I'll carry your shame,
I'll grant you rest, and fill your space,
Just drop your desires, and trust in my name."

The broken man took the hand held out
The rich man spat on the other hand
Said only a fool would throw his riches
For a promise so intangible

And so he struts off in the same pompous air
Into the night in the cold bitter wind
While the other rested in his savior's breast
In the joy and comfort of his embrace