Saturday's Poem: Kindness

KINDNESS by Naomi Shihab Nye

Before youknow what kindness really is

you mustlose things,

feel thefuture dissolve in a moment

like salt ina weakened broth.

What youheld in your hand,

what youcounted and carefully saved,

all thismust go so you know

how desolatethe landscape can be

between theregions of kindness.

How you rideand ride

thinking thebus will never stop,

thepassengers eating maize and chicken

will stareout the window forever.

Before youlearn the tender gravity of kindness,

you musttravel where the Indian in a white poncho

lies dead bythe side of the road.

You must seehow this could be you,

how he toowas someone

whojourneyed through the night with plans

and thesimple breath that kept him alive.

Before youknow kindness as the deepest thing inside,

you mustknow sorrow as the other deepest thing. 

You mustwake up with sorrow.

You mustspeak to it till your voice

catches thethread of all sorrows

and you seethe size of the cloth.

Then it is onlykindness that makes sense anymore,

onlykindness that ties your shoes

and sendsyou out into the day to mail letters and

purchasebread,

onlykindness that raises its head

from thecrowd of the world to say

it is I youhave been looking for,

and thengoes with you every where

like ashadow or a friend.