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| Drizzly Day by sea turtle |
"Raise your words, not your voice.
It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder."
~ Rumi
Thanks to Rebecca Davis' challenge this month, we've been raising our words in the name of kindness. Of course, kindness is recognized by many other names as well— generosity, thoughtfulness, patience, love, compassion, helpfulness, forgiveness....
I've already received several lovely poetic expressions of kindness from Ditty of the Month Club participants. This week I featured three poems by Jan Godown Annino, Diane Mayr, and my own, in honor of Veterans Day. My hope is that I'll receive many more, because... well... they make me happy, plain and simple.
Browsing through personal favorites I've collected over the years, I discovered quite a few poems on the subject of kindness. I'm sharing three of them today, so that you, too, can be inspired.
Do you have a favorite kindness poem? I'd love to know what it is in the comments.
Saint Francis and The Birds
by Seamus Heaney
When Francis preached love to the birds
They listened, fluttered, throttled up
Into the blue like a flock of words
Read the rest here.
Listen to a 1967 recording of Seamus Heaney reading his poem here.
The Patience of Ordinary Things
by Pat Schneider
It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they’re supposed to be.
Read the rest here.
And this one from one of my very favorite poets, Janet S. Wong (used by permission of the author), from the award-winning The Rainbow Hand: Poems About Mothers and Children (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1999):
The Rainbow Hand by Janet S. Wong
Look
how the mother loves her baby,
how she holds him
with strong arms,
high
so the sun
can warm his face
so his bones will grow straight.
Look how she runs with him,
to send a cool breeze
through his toes,
how she makes
an umbrella
of her arms
when the rain
starts to fall.
And when lightning
flashes bright,
too bright,
see how she slips her hand
over his eyes,
her fingers curved
like a rainbow.
Wishing you rainbows of kindness...
Michelle xo
These are wonderful, Michelle. I love the way Janet Wong describes the mother, the fingers forming a rainbow. There must be others, but the only kindness poem I can think of is the one by Naomi Shihab Nye that begins: "Before you know what kindness really is/you must lose things." Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a beautiful poem, Linda. I was introduced to it on Tara's blog a couple weeks ago.
DeleteThese are lovely, especially Janet's beautiful offering. Thanks for sharing, and I'm sorry I can't think of one to add.
ReplyDeleteI rarely can come up with titles on the spot either, Sally. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment anyway!
DeleteJanet's poem is sublimely beautiful. So nice to read it again here, Michelle. Thanks for sharing the others too -- both new to me and much appreciated. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad I could introduce you to a couple new ones, Jama.
DeleteThose are three lovely poems. I couldn't pass this by without giving it a try. I love the poem in the Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations by Eileen Spinelli, How to Love your Little Corner of the World. I'll just share the last four lines, "Share a book,/ Take a walk./ Someone's lonely?/ Stop and talk." Isn't that wonderful? And I can offer a quote from a poem of mine: "This Halloween, be like the grandmother tree./ Gather the rain, slow the wind, your roots entwined./ Let your children bloom and thrive, safe in your care." The link to my poem is: http://friendlyfairytales.com/2013/10/31/for-caregivers-on-halloween-grandmother-tree/ I'll ruminate more about kindness. Perhaps I have a poem in me, more on point. XOXO
ReplyDeleteEileen Spinelli's poem IS wonderful, Brenda. As is yours! I followed your link to read it in full. Such a lovely image– the grandmother tree watching over the little ones, roots entwined.
DeleteHeartwarming, Michelle! How about "Count That Day Lost" by George Eliot, maybe "The Illiterate" by William Meredith, "Miss Lillian Sees Leprosy for the First Time" by Jimmy Carter, and "A Short Testament" by Anne Porter?
ReplyDeleteKnew I could count on you for a few, Tabatha! :) I am especially taken with "The Illiterate" and the one by Jimmy Carter– so straightforward and tender.
Deletethis is wonderful so many likes I really love just Beautiful
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed them as much as I do, Jessica!
DeleteAll of these poems make me happy, Michelle. Here in Tucson we have a grassroots kindness organization called Ben's Bells. Here's a link to their website:https://bensbells.org/
ReplyDeleteI wrote this poem in honor of this amazing organization:
Let Kindness Ring (An Ode to Ben's Bells)
by Bridget Magee
ding
dong
kindness
song
bells
ring
kindness
sings
What an incredible organization, Bridget! Thanks for introducing me to Ben's Bells. Your poem suits their mission beautifully.
DeleteNice choices. I wish I could add to this, but don't have anything to add. Thanks for the poems.
ReplyDeleteNo worries, Rosi. I'm just glad, as always, that you stopped by. :)
DeleteA great poem about kindness is Eavan Boland's "Quarantine," however, it is also one of the saddest poems I know. http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2009/12/06
ReplyDeleteSigh. Even with the warning, the tears come. Thanks for sharing, Diane.
DeleteThe Rainbow Hand is a lovely collection. Janet's poetry is so inspiring. All the poems you've shared for this challenge are so touching. Thank you for spreading the kindness!
ReplyDeleteBackatcha, Linda! One of many talents poets have... spreading the kindness.
DeleteThank you for sharing these, Michelle. I love all of them, especially Janet's. "The Patience of Ordinary Things" really made me think!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Becky. I love the notion that things, too, can be kind. It makes me appreciate what I have and inspires me to be a kinder, gentler person myself.
DeleteThe rainbow hand image in the poem & from the cover art, is so comforting.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate reading this Janet Wong celebration of perfect love.
For my response to this kind request, Michelle -
By the poet Bracha Serri (translated by Shlomit Yaacobi) in THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD, Poems from the MIddle East, selected by Naomi Shihab Nye -
"Word and another word
prayer and another prayer
and our heart is one
we embroider in hope
with the sisterhood of workers
a map of love
to tear down the borders..."
from "Thread by Thread"
c. Bracha Serri
Thanks for sharing this, Jan. "A map of love/to tear down the borders..." such a powerful wish! After last night's tragedy in Paris, the message is stronger than ever.
DeleteMichelle--these are absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Liz. I'm glad you enjoyed them!
DeleteThanks for sharing these, Michelle. They're all beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'll share my grandmother's poem that she wrote when her daughter, my aunt, was expecting her first child—my grandmother's first grandchild. So she would've written this around 1949. I shared it on my blog in May of 2014 for Mother's Day.
A Mother-To-Be
Dear little, sweet little, mother-to-be,
Come closer, and harken
There’s tidings for thee
Of the dear sacred treasure
So close to your heart
Your loved ones have learned
And we each seek a part
In making your happier, happier still
Ere long days of waiting your dream be fulfilled.
In each silken package
With cellophane trim,
A wee bonny gift
Awaits her, awaits him;
But brave little mother,
That soon is to be
This tribute of love
We are bringing to thee.
There’s no greater mission
That you could be sent
Than this lovely mission
On which you’re intent.
This wee bit of heaven
That tugs at your heart
Will mold you and make you
Of heaven a part.
Dear little, sweet little, mother-to-be
May God send his angels to watch over thee.
—Edith Rowe Wood
Aw Penny, that gave me chills. So lovely! Thanks for sharing. :)
DeleteMichelle, thanks for the Rumi quote and Janet's poem. It is gratitude week on Twitter so your post fits beautifully.
ReplyDeleteOpening line from Kindness by Yusef Komunyakaa
When deeds splay before us
precious as gold & unused chances
stripped from the whine-bone,
we know the moment kindheartedness
walks in.
Beautiful, Carol– thanks for sharing. I was chuffed to discover that my subconscious knew what it was doing when I posted this on World Kindness Day!
DeleteYour posts are dangerous time enhancers because I return to the links later!
ReplyDeleteAnd am so rewarded.
Appreciations to you MIchelle, for now having been able to look at the Belfast poets via Seamus Heaney.
I visited several pages, they felt like cozy rooms, at the site for Pat Schneider. Want to put some of her books on my list.
And I had already noted for mysel the must-have The Rainbow Hand.
Michelle, your pages here are like a nourishing workshop.