HUMBLE OLD MAN By Valerie Alston

There once was an old man who slept on a bench in the park after dark.
This old man was a kind hearted soul who loved to see the children play all day long.
But when it was time for them to go home, this old man would hum a sad song.
"Dum-diddle diddle how humble I be. There is not much joy in the world for me."

Day after day he watched the children come and go, to leave him alone in his own home.
The winter came and the air was chilled, but not a change in his cheery heart
For all he lived to see in his world was happy children playful in the park.
"Dum-diddle diddle how humble I be. There is not much joy in the world for me."

The sunshine warmed him while sleeping on a park bench
One day he woke up to find the children had gone for the day.
He sat up, folded his blanket placed it where he lay.
"Dum-diddle diddle how humble I be. There is not much joy in the world for me."

Soon there were no more children in the park.
All the children went away and they never came back again to play.
The old man stayed on his park bench where he lay
And closed his eyes for another day.
"Dum-diddle diddle how humble I be. There is not much joy in the world for me."

In the light of the shining moon
He decided only too soon
That he should move on to another place
That may be somewhere away from the park
Where he wouldn't have to sleep in the dark.
"Dum-diddle diddle how humble I be. There is not much joy in the world for me."

Loud noise of traffic and fumes from another part of town
The sounds around him made it hard for him to get used to.
He sat on the sidewalk in front of a strange big bus
Where people passed by and began to fuss.
They cursed as they threw coins his way
Only hoping to make his day.
"Dum-diddle diddle how humble I be. There is not much joy in the world for me."

The old man just sat and watched the people pass by
Wondering why they would drop money on his hurting head.
But not knowing what to do
He hid the money in his shoe.
And days gone by he found an old hat, put it on his lap, not his head
Where people dropped the money instead.
"Dum-diddle diddle how humble I be. There may not be joy, but there's money for me."

A happy man came out of the store with lots of money in his hand
He shouted how he had won the lottery.
So that is where the old man went to buy a ticket just to see
What was this thing they called the lottery.
Without a doubt and nothing to fear
When the old man won he bought a beer.
"Dum diddle diddle how good for me. There is a place in this world for me."

He won again and this time it was big.
The attention he got was not what he wanted
The media and the camera in his face.
Along with that came a family he never knew that took him home to another place.
This was all so sad. It was all so wrong
And the old man began to sing his song...
"Dum-diddle diddle how humble I be. This is not the place for me."

And he was put out on the street when the money was gone.
There he sat on the curb with a whiskey bottle in his back pocket, singing his favorite song.
"Dum-diddle diddle how thankful I be. There is a world full of wonders for me to see."

The old man continued to watch the people pass by on the street
It was all he ever wanted in life to see.
The people walked by with their happy feet.
"Dum-diddle diddle life is sweet."