Saturday, May 7, 2011

Kindness is not only tender


Kindness is Not Only Tender

Somewhere as children,
we learned
to be activists for the world soul.
We learned full practice of kindness,
is muscular, not always soft...
the way an orcharder
cannot be wishywashy
about axing the split limb
so the tree will thrive
instead of going dead.

We learned by watching:
a meek hold on the axe,
or a halfhearted swing
in the arc
will not be kind
to the living tree,
only hurt it worse.

Yet we also saw
the same orcharder,
use a soft green leaf
to scoop up
a little blue robin egg
that somehow tumbled
from nest to ground
without breaking...

We learned by watching
the orcharder totter-climb
two branches upward
to place
the soon to be pipping
back in the nest.

Kindness is iron.
Kindness is cloud.



and with love,
from dr.e

"Kindness is Not Only Tender" by Dr. C.P. Estés, ©2006, all rights reserved, from La mystica, Book of Prayer manuscript

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