Call me cynical

if you must,

but I believe it is harder to hand out hope

and be sincere with your praise

than to be callous, revelling in the quick-

soundbite of sarcasm as you search

for the cheap laugh, the moment

in the sun, the joker who drives the fans wild,

until it gets out of hand and the wit

turns ugly, because after all,

it had nowhere else to go.

Being kind is filled with pain, holding

out a hand that gets rejected

they say toughens you up, makes you

realise that the world is a bad place,

but it doesn’t have to be, being kind,

feel your heart break when you understand

compassion, a remorseless emotion,

being kind to the callous, the brutal and the vile,

being kind…never cowardly,

as those that who seek out the laughter

of the bully to make their life easier.

 

Ian D. Hall 2018