Twiddling Thumbs Or Counting Blessings – By Oscar E V Fernando

On a bench in park-with sunken eyes-white in hair and long in beard-twiddling thumbs and in a tattered hat-a trouser to match-solving-solving a riddle that blocked his teenage mind and was stuck with him from then to now

how swift life moved from his teens to now like the clouds that fleet-at times dark-at times bright-passing nights and days with no joy in life-this thought bugging him times no end-

why and how suffering on earth with a creator so good and kind?

Revolving the riddle over and over with spasms in body-spasms in mind-with zero in life’s bountiful enthusiasm

soon old age caught up and he-became a riddle to all passing by

day in day out a little girl stops-stares at the man with the pipe in mouth-

blowing smoke and she wonders how and why-

smoke with no fire?

she makes bold one day to near the man-finds aroma of the scented smoke so fine to the nose and she wallows in smell so close

thereon enjoyed the smell serene-no thoughts of how the smoke and where the fire unseen

it took this girl to show the man his wasted years searching-

why and how a loving creator causes suffering-with nary a thought of the beauty and blessings that come around from this same Good Creator always loving

it then beamed on him to stop the twiddling- count the blessings and opening eyes to the lot He hath done around

that suffering of a crucifixion is bound to be trailed by a resurrection-

controlling matter with mind of Faith-halting Logic in haste-as meeting the two is an effort in waste

the little girl comes to see and sees a man un-tattered in mind and body with steady eyes and steady thumbs a face so bright-no blowing pipe nor those bubbles that always faded and died

thus enjoying the beauty around

not probing as to why and how

now fingers counting blessings-

no more his eyes roving.

Oscar E V Fernando

August 2020