kindness poems

It Dawned on Him

Having been terribly hurt
Early in his life
By people he trusted,
He flailed through each day with
Selfishness and cruelty,
Ridiculing empathy,
Celebrating harshness,
Repeating the pattern.
One sleepless night,
It became clear to him
That he was trying
To get back at those who
Had injured him,
Destroying himself and
Everyone else in the process.
It dawned on him that
He was only continuing the misery and
Resolved at that very moment to
Live with kindness,
Leaving behind all the pain,
Healing himself and the world.

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Trait

The impulse to
Help someone in need,
To assist a fellow
Human being who is suffering,
A trait we all possess
In our hearts because we know
Deep inside that we
Might be there too but
For fickle chance.
The ability to feel
Someone else’s pain
And respond with kindness
Is in every one of us.

Workshops

The group walks
Into the room,
Apprehensive faces,
Some bored.
They’ve learned that
These workshops are
Often a frustrating
Waste of time,
Nothing ventured,
Nothing learned.
Today, one at a time,
They look at a
Fellow co-worker,
And say something kind.

Kindness Ends War

Kindness ends war.
How do I know?
Think of all the
Things that cause conflict:
Fear, greed, jealousy,
Lust for power,
Competition,
Unfilled holes,
Misunderstandings,
Unresolved issues,
Hurt feelings,
Pride, ego,
Inner brokenness,
Insecurity,
Pain from the past;
None of those things
Has anything remotely
To do with being kind.
Imagine a world where
People heal themselves,
Let go of all
The awfulness,
Learn how to love.
It’s possible;
We just need to
Practice kindness.

The Faces of Strangers

Walking down the street,
Looking at the
Faces of strangers,
He doesn’t feel fear,
But rather senses
Their shared humanity.
He smiles at them,
A gesture of kindness
Toward another person
Who needs to be treated with
Love and gentleness,
As we all do.

He Remembers

He remembers when,
As a child,
He defended a
Girl from another country
When a classmate
Said cruel things to her.
His parents had always told him that
Everyone is important and that
Superficial differences don’t matter,
That one should
Treat people with kindness
Regardless of where they are from
Or what they look like.
Many years later,
He still lets his voice be heard
Whenever and wherever
He sees someone
Being put down or marginalized
Just because someone else
Needs to feel bigger;
A kind person
Speaking out against harshness.

Choices

Instead of
Fear
He chose
Courage,
Instead of
Hatred
He chose
Love,
Instead of
Animosity
He chose
Kindness,
Hopeful
Choices
For him and
The world.

Sharing Stories

Instead of viewing
Each other with
Hatred and suspicion,
They consciously decide
To sit down and
Share their stories,
Each side learning about the other,
Walls coming down
Through mutual understanding,
Shared humanity,
Empathy superseding blame,
Treating fellow human beings
With kindness and love,
Healing the hurt.

When Will Things Change?

It’s been hard
These last few years,
Not much to celebrate.

She walks down the
Icy street, careful
Not to slip.

The frigid wind
Penetrates her coat,
Increasing her discomfort.

When will things change?
She wonders,
The same struggle day after day.

Approaching a homeless person,
She offers a five-dollar bill
And a smile.