LITERATURE

"YOU"

We are not the masters of life,

but the slaves of invisible and

uncontrolled events.

But we are also not the slaves of other men.

Whatever we may do, we do it by our own choice.

We may blame others,(which we often do) for our

actions but others have nothing to do with our choices.

So if we make a choice to be kind or generous

we can't blame and insult the one to whom we have been kind and generous to.

We may regret our choices,

we may yell and scream with unreasonable fury

and rage at others......

but no one forces us to do anything we don't want to do.

We do everything not because of others but

because of us.

None of us can blame others for our own choices but our own selves.

We can't even blame others for their cruel,

insulting and hurtful words.

Anyone who uttered them will eventually bear the burden.

Its not that,"YOU" disrespected me, disrespected the word,

friendship but "YOU" also disrespected yourself.

For the sake of my own grace and dignity and integrity,

I never ever snapped at you while you often did.....

Even when I paid you a compliment that you are so thin,

"YOU" snapped at me while I was standing at the bottom of your stairs in

your own building where I always came to see you, spending

hours upon hours of my valuable time like a fool giving you company,

loving you, sharing my knowledge, my intelligence, conversing with

you about all sorts of things and played and laughed with your son,

you forgetting all that in your temperamental mood swings

would snap at me and many times you would lose your temper for no reason

at your store where you were always busy making money,

and I was always busy wasting my time.

You see, you wanted some kind of social exchange

but you won't meet me or any other friends

any place else but your own store so you could keep working, making money while your friends would entertain you simultaneously and you won't lose a dollar either

but its not your fault, its the fault of some one like me who came to

attend to you at the expense of their own ,"TIME"

You could have at least appreciated them but you felt you had an ,"ENTITLEMENT"

over them because you had wealth and they didn't.

But they had wealth, they had the ability to be kind to you, not to insult you, to respect you

and be gracious and grateful whenever you were generous.

But to you, giving some one some dollars is the only generosity. You couldn't compare their time, and talent and company as they giving you something also.

Actually they were giving you something which is and always will be

priceless.

No amount of wealth in the world can pay for love, affection, friendship and especially, "TIME"

God hasn't given any one the kind of wealth to repay for other people's valuable ,"TIME"

But they were, especially me was foolish to spend it on you and not on me and my work.

You could have been grateful but instead you want more, more control over human beings.

But human beings are not for sale.

There is not enough money to buy a person.

You made one mistake.

You wanted to buy a friends time for a few dollars.

No, honey, the dollar for that friend is a hateful green color.

Keep the money.

Let me keep my time for myself.

I like this exchange.

I can go ahead and read a book with that valuable time

I can write a poem................

I have time to think and read and write.

I am blessed

Who cares for any one's goodness in the shape and the color of a dollar

especially when they are going to remind you of that eventually,

"I HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD TO YOU. REMEMBER THAT. MY GOODNESS

WAS A DOLLAR I GAVE YOU."

"BUT YOUR TIME WAS OF NO IMPORTANCE. IT WAS COLORLESS. I VALUE GREEN."