Sometimes I think

Unkindness comes from a deeper place

It comes from parts of us

That are hard to face

 

Sometimes I think

Unkind words 

Are just feelings

That have been 

Misplaced

 

Oftentimes I think

Unkind deeds

Are an attempt

To hide our

Needs

 

It’s almost like

A form of

Self-harm

A way of keeping people

At arms length 

 

While all along

We yearn to be held

And told we

Are good enough 

That we don’t always need

To be so strong

 

If someone gives unkindness

I like to reciprocate

With a smile

And perhaps a kind word

I like to let them know

That they have been heard

 

People say I’m soft

I don’t think I am

People say I think too much

And I do believe that

To be true

 

But I believe that kindness

Can be learned

And once ingrained

It can be returned. 

C.K.23