We bite then peel a navel orange—
it repays with fragrance.
Famished, food uncooked unseasoned
is the best we've ever tasted.
Sudden sights break through
the clouds of the mundane.
And kindnesses—the small, the great—
from others or ourselves—
can they no less thrive than life on ground unseen
that waits for spring beneath its leaves?
They must be there abundant on our peopled planet—
incipient in hearts or animate in every moment.
In a world constantly shaken by unprecedented and atrocious happenings, kindness- small or great imparts a lot of cheer and hope. Let our planet be peopled with kindhearted people and let Nature also become animate with the exuberant spirit of spring! A real beauty! 10+++
Thank you, Valsa, for your perceptive understanding and affirmation. In the background of this poem was the most recent mass shooting in a Florida high school. It srikes me that despair as well as anger must be in the hearts of those who do these desperate acts. There’s always beauty. -Glen
And kindnesses—the small, the great— from others or ourselves— can they no less thrive than life on ground unseen that waits for spring beneath its leaves? They must be there abundant on our peopled planet— incipient in hearts or animate in every moment. - - - - - - - I affirm your beautiful statement- - - - -They must be abundant on our peopled planet/incipient in hearts or animate in every moment.
Hey, Bharati! Glad you saw this one. When so much of the news is bad, we have to remember this, not let the bad skew our perspective. Thank you for your comment, and be blessed always!
What a perfectly balanced poem! Nothing is overstated but everything is acknowledged. You chose to celebrate an exchange of KINDNESS as central to life on earth - all life participates in this kindness. And that is a worthy theme to connect with the revival of green life in spring. Your last line affirms this renewal occurs in the interior being as well as the exterior being. In fact, it makes all of this diversity one sacred existence.
hey, daniel! good to see your comment. and thank you. been a busy bee; i hope to visit your garden of poems soon. -glen
Yes, yes, yes! ! ! ! A wonderful piece of writing, my friend! ! And a very good choice of topic.I looked to find my favorite phrase or line- -but guess what? I think every word, every phrase, every line has been perfectly written,1000000000000000000+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wow! Again, thanks, Susan. Isn’t it great when words and images come to consciousness from who knows where? This the case with the leaf-covered ground and the word incipient (which I can’t remember ever using before) . -Love surrond and animate you always. -Glen
I really like this one, Glen! Each couplet is a perfect cameo. Yes, the world is also that. Let's open our eyes and let that be our news broadcaster.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I stopped by to see what new pieces you've written, Glen, and I can say that I'm never disappointed. Those last two stanzas bite with deep meaning and the powerful conviction of necessary truth.