A Poem For Today - From The Archives - Tenderness

[kdick...@aol.com]

From the Archives

TENDERNESS

 

In my youth it was justice, more justice, I cried out for

to mend this broken world—

and so it must be until the work is done.

But now as I begin my 77th journey around the sun

it is more tenderness and kindness, I cry out for.

So let these wash over this new year like a blessing

like a giant tsunami

sweeping away in a great mercy the hatred and cruelty

that has infected our beloved country.

It is this marriage of tenderness and justice

this magical coupling of yin and yang

that alone can save us from a world mad with ignorance and fear.

As I enter these later years of my life

let me be a warrior for justice with a tender, fearless heart

raw and open and welcoming

the boundless suffering, joys, and beauty of this world.

This tenderness I speak of cannot be learned from books and lectures

and one need not travel to far-off lands in search of it.

One need only look deep inside to find it.

It is as ancient and primal as the very first breath of the world

the way the lioness welcomes her newborn

licking her into life with great patience and mother love.

It is as soft and gentle as when the night unfolds

surrendering to the dawn of a new and blessed day.

And we all know this tenderness if we but look around us.

It is tenderness that grieves at the sight of an abandoned dog

shivering and moaning in the cold

and it is tenderness when a child recoils in hurt at the sound of a harsh word.

It is tenderness that cries out at the sight of a baby

torn from the arms of its mother by La Migra

and it is tenderness when we are moved to joyful tears

at the sight of something so beautiful—

a butterfly or a sunset or a newborn—

and all we can say is thank you.

So let us befriend this precious gift of tenderness

welcome it and nourish it

and hold it close to our heart where it is safe.

In the end it is only the fierce love

at the heart of tenderness and justice

that is the medicine that can heal us

and bring the world back from the brink.

 

David Glick; June 29, 2021

[Kurt Heyl]

Thank you, David, for this beautiful poem that praises life.

Thank you, Ken, for bringing it back.

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