Ripples
I looked at the roses in a vase
Elegant long stems devoid of prickly barbs.
On a bush the barbs protected.
Denuded, they proclaimed their worth.
Was it real?
I watched the beggar on the corner
Only ask for money from people who
Wouldn’t look him in the eye.
And wondered if they knew the value of
a smile.
I always share my swim lane with another
Nodding entry.
I wondered why today a man jumped in
And pushed me aside.
Had he forgotten the etiquette of sharing
Caught in a cycle of demanding.
Small ripples of consideration
Reverberate.
The essence travels, and touches the banks
of rivers and flows
to the seas.
A small gesture
Touches a person
In ways that change trajectories
Unknown and infinitely.
The tartness of an apple
Sweetened in the giving.
The seeds are sown for the future.
Be the gesture of kindness
The ripple that counters
What one can’t control.
Notice the rose bush,
The beggar on the corner
Invite the swimmer in
Be sweet to mellow
The tartness.
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