Compelled

I am a man who lives and works in solitude
Tending gardens, praying for the destitute
I wear a simple habit and two simply fashioned sandals
And spend my nights reading by the light of a wax candle

The monastery's always been a home to me
I've never wondered how it might otherwise be
I keep a friendly feline I've named Randall
We spend our night sitting by the light of a wax candle

And I feed him
And I read to him
But he doesn't know the stories that I tell
In the garden
I beg God's pardon
And to a deeper life I often feel compelled

One day I walked into the town to get supplies
And as I strolled I turned and saw, to my surprise
An invalid who had no place to call his own
I asked and found that he was all alone

I took the man to a corner store and bought him food
And to the tailor who could fix his tattered suit
He told me of his life and how he made his ends
I told him of my solitude and feline friend

How I feed him
How I read to him
But he doesn't know the stories that I tell
How in the garden
I beg God's pardon
And to a deeper life I often feel compelled

Taking my sack, I started home and bid "goodbye"
He thanked me for the help I gave and then began to cry
I saw in him a need that I knew must be felled
That night I prayed to God and felt compelled

We live together now inside a humble cottage
I share my various recipes of warm pottage
Meeting the need of this friend I found, I am content
A deeper life, my God has finally sent

And I feed him
And I read to him
And he's thankful for the stories that I tell
When people ask
Why I had to act
My answer is that I had felt compelled