UNEXPECTED GUEST

      

It sounds strange that a stranger arrived

At my doorstep, today morning, who survived

The gush of winds outside that appeared to have lived

A thousand lives; but what’s that to anyone who’s contrived?

A loony stranger knocked when I was sitting down with a book,

I was so aghast by his appearance that my hands shook

I tried to gauge his past ancestry, from his look –

His dark eyes told tales of time spent by a brook.

He was a stranger, who’d stopped by for a drink,

But I, the ignorant, was lying on suspicion’s brink

I consulted my mother, over the kitchen sink

“Should I bring him inside?” I asked as tho’ he’s a missing link.

Then he revealed his name to my stupefaction –

He had travelled a long road, fighting along, in action,

He’d knocked for a gulp of water, to quench thirst in satisfaction –

He regaled all of us with laughter, surprising me to distraction.

The stranger went away, after resting for a while,

But not before, he’d gifted around everyone’s lips – a healthy smile.