kindness 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 gaze at 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.
The city of kindness-collaborative poem
I love my family and all my friends, it ' s true But above all I love my mom and dad and of course they do too Whether I ' m happy, naughty or sad I surely prefer making them feel glad It ' s called unconditional love, my parents said But here ' s what they also taught me to do In order to gain respect and show some too: When I ' m wrong I say " I ' m sorry " When I show compassion I say " Don ' t worry " When I receive I say " Thank you " When someone sneezes I say " Bless you!" When I need something I say " Please ". Doesn ' t it make you feel at ease To kindly ask someone when you need some help And make you feel good about yourself? It shows you grew up with values, good manners and respect. Because that is what life with values is all about, my parents said To cherish and respect Those you love and those who love you And to show it to them as much as they do Whether they ' re your family or your friends It is a feeling that never ends. You should also love your country, that ' s for sure But you should embrace as well people from a different culture Learn from others, open your mind Always remember to be kind