Giddy old fool, grin on his face
Standing alone in a far-away place.
People scoff as he goes their way,
But he just laughs it all away.
Few men know why he's standing there;
Most don't know, and most don't care.

Lone he stands, day-in, day-out,
And still, all have yet to see him pout.
I went afar and saw him once
And spoke with him, that giddy dunce.
And I won't forget the words he said,
They linger still, they fill my head.

I asked: "Old fool why linger here?
Does it not bother you when those men sneer?
Why do you laugh as the world cries in pain?
Why do you smile with nothing to gain?"
And as I spoke, his smile just grew,
As I'm sure my words were nothing new.

Said he: "A fine old question, true,
So listen close, I'll answer you.
For many years I've lived this life,
I've had my frowns; I've had some strife.
I was like everyone else you meet,
Wearing fear from fear from my shoulders right down to feet.

"Then I learned something--I don't recall how,
But I learned it then and I know it now.
Watch the sun: it will rise just to fall,
And leaves a shadow hanging over all,
Yet do we cry out when it takes its rest?
We await a new day as we pray for the best.

"If the sun in its might can rise again,
Then what of the things in the world within?
If the sun in its course has yet to fail,
And when it darkens, we do not wail,
Then why do we, in our course of life,
Cease hope with every minor strife?

"Things don't go our way, we scream of fraud.
We stub our toe, we curse to God.
We throw a fit when we fall bored,
Yet the world with its marvels falls ignored.
Why do we fret over minute things,
Yet ignore this day, and the life it brings?

"And if we trust the sun in its might
To rise each day, and bear its light,
Then what of the one who placed it there,
Who fills the trees and strips them bare?

"Does He kneel at your command?
Will He draw in the sun to eat from your hand?
Does He not guide the invisible breeze?
Does He not bring nations to their knees?

"Does He not command this earthly flow?
Can you comprehend Him? Can you truly know?
A power extended o'er the great unknown,
The Master on His celestial throne.

"Yet not a bird falls away from His eye,
No matter how far its wings may fly.
If the spinning spider finds her prey,
And the beasts yet live amidst the fray,
Are we not cared for more than they,
Our needs met faithfully, day-by-day?

"Though our prideful demands may fall denied,
And one day you declare that I have lied,
With what breath do you cry into the land
But with that which is granted by the Master's hand?

"What need have I for petty fright,
When the Master sees me, day and night?
Let men laugh, and let them jeer.
Let them live their lives with clouded fear.
This world is His, and all within--
What else can I do? What else, but grin?"

And to those words, I gave no reply,
For I knew it all was a foolish lie.
I turned and left him standing there,
And he grinned back, with happiness bare.

Giddy old fool, grin on his face,
Standing alone in a far-away place.
Few men know why he's standing there;
Most don't know, and most don't care.

I spoke with him once, my great regret,
For though I've tried, I've found I cannot forget.
The words of that giddy dunce were cruel,
For somehow, he's made me the fool.

(Author's note: Sorry for the awkward inconsistency in the stanza size. When this was originally written in my notebook, there were no spaces whatsoever. I found that it could divide easily into stanzas consisting of six lines, HOWEVER, this division created some awkward breaks. To correct that, I decided to swap between six and four. For harder poets here, sorry for the inconsistency-)