You Judge, I Observe

Around the round table, sat all.

All from different ages, having varying wages.

Different bodies, sizes, shapes and minds.

With some having something more than the others.

They were given half an hour,

To maintain silence, to observe,

To dive deep into those thoughts and sights,

Most thought of the things they have and of the things they might.

But I promised myself not to be judgemental.

"Oh! To be young", thought the old lady,

"His watch is at least a couple of thousands bucks", thought the young girl,

"Aah, she has a ring, must be having a happy life", thought the old man,

"Sunglasses in a room, crispy clothes, must be a rich guy", thought the woman.

But, there sat that guy, smiling, just smiling.

And thus rang the bell,

Indicating the end of those dreadful 30 minutes,

Just to reveal,

That the old lady was from a royal family,

That the young girl was a single teen mother,

That the old man was suffering from dementia,

That the woman was a mother who lost her kids in an earthquake,

That the smiling man was blind.

Now, I asked the blind man, what he thought of during these 30 minutes, why he smiled?

He replied, "I was observing. You see I like observing.", still smiling.

"With no eyes, how were you observing?", I asked with some hesitation.

"I don't know what you all did earlier maintaining silence, I could just hear you all moving your feet and hands and changing your position. I, after all these years, of blindness, have adapted myself in way to have sharp ears and have used that as a strength to understand the air of the room. So I could make out some here were anxious, some nervous, some looking at others and most probably having their own thoughts about the others and judging them. You see, I like observing."

I smiled and thought if he was just observing or being judgmental.

And finally, I wondered, whether I was just observing or judging too, and soon that smile faded, both from the blind man's face and mine.

Varsha