Consider the Lilies

by Vera Zlatkin

Consider the Lilies of the field, how they grow;
they toll not, neither do they spin;
And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these.
(Matt: 6: 28 & 29)

Think of the lily and of the rose,
They neither toil nor spin, and yet
The majesty and beauty of them
Touches the very soul of even the hardest of hearts,

And we love them, and cultivate them,
And tend to them, and hold them in highest regard—
Not for what they do or how they conduct themselves,
But for their being alone.

Think of the cat, a totally useless creature,
She toils not neither does she spin, and yet
She stands aloft with independent air
And wins over even the coldest of hearts,

And we love her, and feed her,
And tend to her, and hold her in highest regard—
Not for what she does or how she conducts herself,
But for her being alone.

Think of the infant, helpless and totally dependent,
He toils not to pay for his keep, and yet one smile from him is all it takes
To melt our hearts and brighten our day,

And we love him, and hold him close,
And tend him, and hold him in highest regard—
Not for what he does or how he conducts himself,
But for his being alone.

Think of the homeless, the destitute, the welfare mother,
They toil for naught but to survive, and yet
From them we them we turn our eyes away lest we see their
plight, and our hearts be touched,

And we begin to love them, and nourish them,
And tend them, and hold them in highest regard—
Not for what they do or how they conduct themselves,
But for their being alone.

Copyright  NEOCH and the Homeless Grapevine published Oct. – Dec. 1995 Issue 12