I once thought I was a poor man,

With barely enough to eat.

The roof above my head it leaked,

A dirty floor beneath my feet.

One day I went out on a walkabout,

I walked all around the town.

I saw how others were living.

Let me say, it was quite profound.

You see, what I saw as poor,

It did not even compare.

And of one old man I met on my way,

Said life for him was fair.

How, I asked, can you think that?

You have even less than me.

He looked at me and smiled,

Saying - How sad you cannot see.

The world we all are born in,

Offers such rich and wondrous things.

It is not I that is the poor man here,

But you for not seeing this butterfly’s wings.

I looked at him in confusion,

Then down upon his knee.

There I saw the most beautiful butterfly,

And realized what he could see.

At that very moment,

The butterfly took to flight.

The old man stood and went inside,

With a grin, he said Goodnight.

What I had considered as rich,

Meant nothing to this old man.

He enjoyed his life for what it was,

Why? Because he can.

I went back to my house,

Looking at all I had.

The truth is, what he revealed to me.

Smiling, I too was glad.

That butterfly, it represents beauty,

And riches beyond compare.

With this simple thought in mind,

I too knew life was very fair.

I am no longer a poor man,

I’m as rich as the wealthiest man.

I go out and enjoy life’s gifts to me.

Why? Because I now can.