As I walked in from the winter's cold wind blown,
I noticed that I came into a funeral home.
There was a young lady being put to rest
And I was saddened for the family, who was surely depressed.

I sat quietly in the back and listened to the service
When a lady asked me how I knew the young miss.
I sheepishly answered that it was only from the cold wind
That I had even attempted to come in.

The elderly lady gruffed,
And proceeded to tell me with a huff
About the young lady that laid within the coffin-
And that I should be glad she was none of my kin.

"She was not pretty, and her clothes were horrid.
All of her clothing had a patterns of florid.
She was always at church, true,
But what she did on weekends makes my face turn blue!

Only sixteen was she,
And the place that she went to should not be!
How her mother could allow her to go
Is beyond my reason to possibly know.

The place she visited was in the roughest part of town,
And I told her often enough that upon this I did frown.
But would she listen?  Oh no!  Not she!
Not to take advice from the elderly."

The girl's wrongdoing in this lady was so great
That she could not begin to elaborate
On what the young miss did
That offended her so, and therefore she away did bid.

I sat there, forming a now not nice opinion of the girl
Who would worry an elderly lady with her weekend whirls!
Then another, a young man, about twenty, came up to me and asked,
"Have I seen you before?  Did you know the girl who has past?"

I replied that I did not, and he smiled with sadness.
"Please, allow me to tell you about the young lady named Bess.
Every weekend she came to my house and cleaned for free.
She was a life saver- I have three beautiful children you see.

Their mother passed away last year,
And I have been short on money and I can barely support my dears.
Bess worked at a local pharmacy here in town,
She heard of my plight and offered to come around.

Whenever she could, she helped me and watched my triplets,
Cooked, cleaned, and helped when they were being little misfits.
I grew to love her as a man should love his wife, and in deed-
I was planning to ask her to when she was eighteen.

Now I shall never get the chance
To hold her close as we dance,
To tell her that though others do not understand
That she is truly beautiful wherever she stands."

I looked at the young man, who was obviously in love,
And felt ashamed of my first opinion of the dove.
One woman did not comprehend,
One young man did, and now he will not bend.

I looked at the picture of young Bess in a case,
And saw now the beauty of what was in her face.
I buttoned up my coat and walked out onto the moor,
Ready now to explore the things unseen that pass by my door.

No more judging by covers until the truth be found.
No more just tossing opinions upon a mound.
No more accepting of things that I cannot see,
And no more allowing people telling me what my opinions should be.