Kindness
How often do I overlook
an opportunity to be kind
too busy to notice the other
too much in a hurry to care
I walk in my bubble, no time
to smile, I ignore rather than
return the glance of a stranger.
My heart is not hard
but often it is unobservant
until unexpected kindness touches me
and I am made aware once again
this is how kindness feels - yes, oh yes,
I must remember to pass it on
to others along my path today.
Written for Poets United Midweek Motif - "kindness"
You've spoken my heart Mary. Love your style of so much strength and honesty. "I must remember to pass it on / to others along my path today."...May we all remember and do it. Beautiful, as always.
ReplyDelete1st :D
ReplyDeleteI am certain you are one of the kinder humans on this earth, Mary. Smiles. I love your poem as it speaks to human nature in general, everyone busy in their own bubble. Thankfully, we snap out of it when something dire happens and we are needed. It is always lovely to read you.
ReplyDeleteI think we have all been caught up in our own lives at times. A great reminder to take note of what is happening around us. A bit of kindness can go a long way.
ReplyDeleteYour heart is definitely not hard. One can see this as you give freely to the poetic community.
Here's a smile for you Mary :)
Love this yes kindness has a great effect on us and I feel that passing it on gives as much satisfaction
ReplyDeleteLovely! So direct and meaningful. A poem to remember! I love the "yes, oh yes," moment--it makes it seem the revelation and transformation is happening in the midst of reading the poem. Thank you for writing, and thank you, too, for the high praise of my poem.
ReplyDeleteLove your poem, Mary. I must remind myself also as I go about the day.
ReplyDeleteI think that when I retired I became more relaxed and noticed people more and had time to smile and chat...or it may have been my wife hanging on my arm that was the drawcard!
ReplyDeleteYeah, many a time we have tunnel vision and just forget to look
ReplyDeleteI, too, often have an unobservant heart, so kindness slips by the wayside.
ReplyDeleteAnd if each of us takes a breath... to appreciate the kindness we receive, and then pass on, the result will be a chain reaction that might keep on reminding us how to be human.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful.
You've articulated some good reflections here, Mary. I think about kindness a lot. Our society seems to be evolving in a very unkind direction, fuelled in great part, I think, by the superficial ego centric values promoted by mass and social media. Personally, I have found that lately, I am mildly startled when I encounter a random act of kindness, unexpectedly - though it does leave me with a warm feeling.
ReplyDeleteIn Vancouver, it is difficult to move around the city without encountering people begging - many of them holding signs saying that they are hunger and have no money for food for themselves (and in some cases - their children). I almost always give them a dollar or two. (Today I gave an older woman a $20 bill. It was all I had on me and she was a heartbreaking sight.) I know that there are tricksters in the mix, but I think it is better to feed a hunger person, than not. I wouldn't want to think that I was so hardhearted as to turn my back on a starving human being rather than risk rewarding a scam.
I don't like feeling unkind. But admittedly, that doesn't appear to pose a problem for a lot of folks.
This is so good, Mary! Your understanding and thoughtful reflection tell us something of our own limited capacity for observation/kindness. That is the human condition perhaps and we can try and do the best that we can. It's always beautiful to be reminded of how kindness feels though. :-)
ReplyDelete'Not hard but often unobservant' – yes, I fear we all fall into that deplorable state.
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