Lone Candle

By Lynn Ockersz

In the rat-race city wherein humans,

See living by their wits as the normal thing,

Fifteen-year-old Mohamed Younus’ honesty,

Of returning to its owner a pay packet thick,

Found by him on the scramble-scarred streets,

Ought to stir hearts and set the Isle thinking,

Now that a fixation has emerged over ‘influencers’,

And followers who could be herded behind them,

With communication mod-cons doing the mobilising;

But it’s the simple, caring act coming from the heart,

With nary a care for how far the news would travel,

And how it will be received by the world at large,

That sets the benchmark for morally-healthy living,

And Younus’ act of honesty is fully one of this kind,

Which stresses the truth that virtue is an end in itself.