Dear reader you thought that
I would write a soppy poem about
being nice, considerate and tender
and all those wondrous grand things
we think about when gentleness
comes to mind.

And its not that these grand things
aren’t important, they bloody well are!

It’s just that I see gentleness as active
and embodied in the world
with strength,
built on compassion,
instilled in empathy,
and enacted through courage.

Did you note these active nouns:
strength, compassion,
empathy and courage?

You see, dear reader, I choose to be
a person who wants the good,
and wanting the good is powerful,
for it changes the world–it changes me.

I choose to be mindful
and respond with care without being reactive,
to embrace empathetic silence in the face
of anger, disappointment and fear.

I choose to control my urge to lash out
and harm when I am attacked or my
interests are not upheld.

Do you know how challenging it is to be
gentle and consider others even when you
are not in the mood?

Dear reader, this is my stance: I wish for
gentleness in all my ways and that
is not being passive but standing up
and holding a line and disarming the
fury that sits beneath modern life.

 

29/5/2023