In honor of National Poetry month, throughout April I will post poems that resonate with me. “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye is one of my favorite poems. I often return to it and reflect on her words. Powerful.
Kindness
By 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.
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 mail letters and purchase 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.
Oh I love this Rudri. Thank you in advance for this month of poems!
Glad you liked it, Dana. If you loved this poem, definitely check out her collection.
This is lovely! Thank you for such an a inspiring poem, and a gorgeous photo to go with it 🙂 Happy Saturday, Rudri!
Thanks, Christy. This poem is one that I keep revisiting. I appreciate the compliment on the photo. This is an image I captured while taking a walk through my neighborhood. I couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to merge the blue and white sky with the pink flowers.
I’m very excited for your month of poems! This one is gorgeous, and so is the photo.
The colors go beautifully together.
I am looking forward to featuring poetry as well. Thanks for the compliment on the photo, Tamara.
Excited to read your poem selections!
Thanks, Tiffany.
Beautiful!