All my Family

Many years ago I wrote the following as a song, based on some of my experiences here in Ecuador and inspired by the following advice by 'Abdu'l-Bahá: "Do not be satisfied until each one with whom you are concerned is to you as a member of your family. Regard each one either as a father, or as a brother, or a sister, or as a mother, or as a child. If you can attain to this, your difficulties will vanish; you will know what to do."

* * * * *

Ah, when you see the bleeding tracks
   of bare feet on the stone,
And when they speak with broken voice,
   in words you do not know,
And when you see their calloused hands,
   the withered flesh on fragile bones,

Remember, they're your parents;
deny them not your home.
And when you see her standing there,
   selling her battered thighs,
The ruffled feathers in her hair,
   her painted lips and eyes,
And when she calls you to her side,
   and leads you, leads you to her bed,

Remember, she's your sister,
and heal her wounds instead.
And when he pulls on your coat-tails,
   with grubby hands so small,
Yesterday's tears upon his face,
   you did not hear him call.
His eyes are wide, his belly large;
   he begs you, begs you for a dime.

Remember, this child is your own;
turn not away this time.
And when his bottle lies empty
   beside his heavy load,
And when he's fallen in a drunken
   heap beside the road,
Then do not turn your back on him,
   and leave him, leave him in the night,

Remember, he's your father,
and do not scorn his plight.
For many are the broken ones,
   and many are the poor,
And many are the strong who turn
   the weak ones from their door,
But "what you do unto the least of these,
   you do it, do it unto me",

For they are all your family,
the leaves upon one tree.
And they are all our family,
as leaves upon one tree.
Yes, we are all one family,
the leaves upon one tree.