A Precious Thing

 
A Precious Thing
 
Appreciate the ones who are sincere,
Who think of others, not of just themselves,
Who do their work with diligence and care,
Who see the good in others, not just faults,
Who look beneath the surface, see the grays—
Remember what they owe, are slow to judge—
And speak and act with kindness, seeking still
The truth in full—and not convenient part,
Rejecting falsehoods and eschewing hate,
And seeing, in the “other”, also self.
 
To varying degrees, we see these things,
As well as opposites, in the ones around
Who’re neither saints nor devils, but a mix
Of virtues and of vices, old and new.
 
Courage joined with kindness can be rare—
And that is why it is a precious thing.
 
2022 June 6, Mon.
Brooklyn, New York