Dignity

Dignity hides in unexpected places.
Search amongst kings and princes,
Those applauded and famed,
But likely you will not find it there.
Rather-
Look deeper and further.
Watch faces and hands
Revealing the heart of those overlooked,
For dignity resides where you least expect it.
Look among the poor-
See not the whole but the part.
Look for one life and study it.
There she is now. Dignity moves.
Amongst the dust and dirt,
At home with the simple and content.
Head held high. Gaze fixed.
No jewels or finery wears she,
But adorned with true treasures found.
No look of condescension has she;
No thought to impress, thought that she does,
As she rises above circumstance and calamity
With such grace and composure.
No strain for beauty shows on her face;
No sign of struggle to do more
Than those tasks she does each day, every day,
And every day of every year.
At peace with who and where she is
She becomes Dignity herself,
As she carries the weight of her world on the shoulders
So gracefully.