Kindness — by Naomi Shihab Nye

Post any poetry here. It's just too hard to define "inspired" in this context, so we will settle for that which inspires.
Post Reply
User avatar
Welles
Family
Posts: 1609
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 5:55 pm
Please type in these numbers: 46373: 1111
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Contact:

Kindness — by Naomi Shihab Nye

Post by Welles »

"Kindness" was the most Popular Poem on Poets.org in 2018

Kindness — Naomi Shihab Nye

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
http://www.theoreticsinstitute.org/pics/Love.png
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

Image
User avatar
Sandy
Staff
Posts: 23824
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 8:51 pm
Please type in these numbers: 46373: 1111
Location: Illawarra District, New South Wales, Australia
Contact:

Re: Kindness — by Naomi Shihab Nye

Post by Sandy »

Wow! :happy
“We measure and evaluate your Spiritual Progress on the Wall of Eternity." – Guardian of Destiny, Alverana.
Seeker13
Family
Posts: 2331
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 3:29 pm
Please type in these numbers: 46373: 0
Please type in these numbers:91294: 0
Location: USA

Re: Kindness — by Naomi Shihab Nye

Post by Seeker13 »

Welles,
… This one was very difficult to get through, stayed for a time, and touched one of those very deep places.

Kim
And Spirit whispered, "There are no limits."

We are akin to the aspen forests, seemingly separated but in actuality, one organism.
Post Reply