When did we become a nation that is suspicious of all strangers? We have always had a history of being a ‘welcoming society’… Or have we? On my way out of the farm yesterday I turned onto the main road and very soon passed a man walking up the road in the opposite direction (an unusual sight this far from town). With thoughts of at least a ransacked house streaming through my head I turned around and headed back. Hiding behind a hedge I was relieved to watch the lone walker pass by…

There’s a stranger walking by,
I’m sure he’s up to no good,
He may be about to ransack the house,
Or steal a load of wood!
Or perhaps he just out for a stroll,
Taking in fresh air,
He’s actually doing no harm at all,
As far as I’m aware!

Should I have acted differently?
Offered a cup of tea?
Or should I man the barricades,
In case he a wrong’un be?

Perhaps it’s time we all gave strangers some benefit of the doubt and stopped being driven by startling stories in the media?

© Baldock Bard 2015
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