The Cold Within...
This unfortunately, is a tale that is sad but true. We should take a lesson from it, and be willing to toss our "stick" into the fire and save all of mankind in the process.
Six humans trapped by happenstance,
in bleak and bitter cold,
Each one possessed a stick of wood,
or so the story's told.
Their dying fire in need of logs,
the first man held his back,
For of the faces round the fire,
he noticed one was black.
The next man looking cross the way,
saw one not of his church
And couldn't bring himself to give the
fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes,
he gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use to
warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought
of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned
The black man's face bespoke revenge as
the fire passed from sight.
For all he saw in his stick of wood was a
chance to spite the white.
The last man of this forlorn group did
naught except for gain,
Giving only to those who gave was how
he played his game.
Their logs held tight in death's still hand
was proof of human sin,
They didn't die from the cold without-
they died from the cold within.
-Anonymous
Back to Parable Main Page
Back to Home Page
Comments? or Submissions?