Small Kindnesses
by Danusha Laméris
I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk
down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs
to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”
when someone sneezes, a leftover
from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.
And sometimes, when you spill lemons
from your grocery bag, someone else will help you
pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.
We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,
and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile
at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress
to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,
and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.
We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”
Danusha Laméris is the 2020 recipient of the Lucille Clifton Legacy Award, Laméris
is a Poet Laureate emeritus of Santa Cruz County, California. She co-leads the
Poetry of Resilience webinars and the HearthFire Writing Community with James
Crews. She is on the faculty of Pacific University’s low-residency MFA program.
Her poems have been published in The Best American Poetry, The New York
Times, The American Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, The SUN Magazine, Tin
House, The Gettysburg Review, and Ploughshares.
Her poem “Small Kindnesses” went viral during the pandemic, inspiring a follow-on collaborative poem by 1300 teenagers from around the world.
I liked the way Justin approached and read this.
Perhaps you give him a like if you can (please).
“In the tapestry of life, we are all connected.
Each one of us is a gift to those around us,
helping each other be who we are,
weaving a perfect picture together.” ~Anita Moorjani
We know this:
Our shared hopes and vulnerabilities are revealed in the briefest daily exchanges.
It is then that we acknowledge dignity in one another.
It’s how we build bonds and brawn for human understanding.
It’s one more testament that illuminates what fuses us.
Small kindnesses purl stitch us together despite our busyness.
Awareness of this might reawaken us to the strength of little acts.
Let’s see each other: Namaste.
I hope you enjoyed the poem I chose for you.
Thank you for reading.
***
In case you’re up for more words, here’s something from 2020…
- Share The Wealth: Joy is Our Natural State - May 6, 2024
- NPM Scavenger Hunt – Poems from Around the World - April 30, 2024
- Day 30: NaPoWriMo 2024–Mary Magdalene At The Doctor’s - April 30, 2024
A beautiful share my friend
Happy you enjoyed it, dearest Sadje.
My pleasure dear friend
Miracles surround us! Just yesterday I came across this astounding poem and poet, again. I put Open Bonfire (where the poem resides) on my wishlist, printed the poem to place lovingly in my journal, and soaked up the words all day as I fretted over possible broken water pipes. Then I open your post, and there it appears again! How lovely and miraculous is that?
Miraculous. The Universe is conspiring to get us to see this. I’m so glad we’re helped along this way. I liked it the moment I happened on it. Wow. 😇
Here is another lovely reading by Helen Bonham Carter: https://youtu.be/bcrm3JgOgD4?si=ssrQNtGl6DQsJhDC. Enjoy again, and again and . . . Again.
Ah. So exquisite. Thanks for this, Kathryn. Priceless 🙇🏽♀️
Oops not Open Bonfire. Bonfire Opera!
😜 Bonfire Opera. What a beautiful cover. The color!
It’s a little too pricey as books go —but it’s so worth it. I put it in my wish list too. Thanks for providing me the name of this gem. Blessing befall you. May the pipes function again soon. I’m praying for you.
Wonderful reminfer 💕
Glad you agree Maggie. Xo
Xo
Very you share!
My pleasure, Raj 🙇🏽♀️ 💕
It is and I love this
Thanks, Beth
A kind comment costs nothing. Like helping others when you can.
It’s human nature, right. And it feels good too… xo
I feel so blessed and honored to have spent time here. Thank you so much for the poetic gifts! 🌻
You’re a beautiful soul Tu hanks for coming today. I bless you, Michele Lee
Thank you, sweet Selma. You are a beautiful light! ✨
You are too. Thanks for your presence. Xo
You’re the sweetest. Thanks for this. I’m getting better after the jarring events at the start of the month. Forgive my absence. I’m doing better now. 🙇🏽♀️ happy new year.
Lovely. Thanks Selma. (K)
My pleasure. Always.
Hi Selma, a lovely choice of poem. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure, friend.
What a beautiful and ageless poem, Selma. I love it, and it’s one that we all need to read every day. The poet is only a few hours south of us. 🙂 Have a good weekend! xoxo
So glad you enjoyed. Blessings for a serene weekend. Xo
What a beautiful and meaningful post, Selma! I worry every day about the deep rifts in society that characterize our era. I truly believe that kindness is contagious. If we can make kindness go viral, maybe we can mend our differences and heal our society.
Go viral. Yes. If only we could.
Something like keeping
the WiFi 🛜 quota of our digital devices full only by adding to the universal, or at best the community’s kindness-account.
That would seem conditional. Maybe. But it could be a great start—everyone wants 🛜 available unconditionally.
Make kindness the norm, already please. 🙏 🙇🏽♀️
Thanks for reading and engaging me in a small exchange that just stretched my ‘thinker’ 😜
Blessings.
I love this poem!! Thank you for sharing it and allowing me to read it again! Such a heartwarming post, in and of itself ❤️
You’re most welcome, Sunra.
Amen to these small kindnesses – they make all the difference 🙏❤️
They do. Xoxo
Yes! I totally agree. Thanks for sharing this poem, Selma!
It’s my pleasure to share this Author’s fine words. So glad you enjoyed it. Xoxo