The Gift of a Stranger

Had it not been for a stranger at the next table,
I never would have found it.
All you see is a small, unassuming door
in an out of the way courtyard.
There is a sign, a small one in italian
which would have meant nothing to me.
But the stranger was enthusiastic
in the way only Italians can be
and i put my trust in that enthusisam,
and opened the door.

A music school. That’s what he said it was once,
but it felt more like a cathedral
with pews and ceilings that reached for the sky.
And the light! I was sure Angels were waiting
in the wings to sing, None did, but here I was
close to heaven, throough an unassuming door,
led by strangers.

About this poem

Sometimes strangers lead us to grace and joy. Sometimes we get the opportunity to lead others. Either one is a gift.

The picture is of a music school in Rome. Don’t ask me the name. I did not have the sense to take a picture of the little sign by the door.

Tom