Be Kind he said, be kind

glory be for damaged things

for butterflies with broken wings

for birds that can not chirp or sing

on mornings when the sun

won't shine

and for that rose whose petals fell

upon the crazy paving's path

whose loveliness you

once did praise

don't let that memory slip away

with thoughts of tincture and

decay

or for the friends who broke your trust

like rust upon an iron chain

increasing with the falling rain

don't focus on the sorrow felt

but more upon the joy they gave

for all the hurts that wound your mind

whose marks have left behind a scar

recall the positives instead

regardless of the damage done

don't harbour all the tears he said

reach out to grasp a smiling sun

consideration is a plus

compassion in this world a must

be kind he said be kind

Reviews

[lightsong]

to say this is a masterpiece would be underrated, I don't know how You even managed to compose the first two verses, they are not only beautiful, they hold rare beauty that beauty where life's essence flows, perfect poem in these holy times... heavenly written from again such a wise elegant and fair Lady.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you dear lightsong for that very generous review. Apologies for the delay in thanking you.
read moreThank you dear lightsong for that very generous review. Apologies for the delay in thanking you.

Chris

[lightsong]

NEVER apologize for such a thing my dear, please take care of yourself and recover soon🤗

[Chris Shaw]

Many, many thanks.

[lightsong]

~~~~✨💕✨~~~~

[lovelymarina]

Flawlessly said, Chris.

To bask in the pain and heartbreak of rather unfortunate situations is a waste of time. Thank you for the lessons, thank you for the moments and memories. I will take them on with me as I continue to move throughout this wonderful live we're so blessed to live. I've learned the hard way that being bitter is of no importance. Life will never be sunshine and rainbows.

I loved this one a lot, happy new years!

Marina

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Marina for your thoughts. Pleased you enjoyed the read. You take care abd have a good 2022.

Chris

[keith]

'be kind he said be kind' ...
merci

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks for stopping by.

Chris

[.]

I just wonder who the "he" is who said these things, for whomever he is he certainly is a well spring of wisdom with morals and views that we need more than ever nowadays. This is such a unique style of mixed rhyme that manages to work as it draws the readers eye along your lines. Must have been a difficult poem to compose but going by your comments and views, a most successful one. Well done, Chris. A fine piece of poetry.⚘

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Jamila. I am a fan of internal rhyme. I really appreciate your thoughts and your review. The he here was my father who sadly died at the age of 60. He left us with many memories and also pearls of wisdom.

Chris

[Lorry]

Well I must admit Chris, I do feel like a bit of a Rodney (plonker) but I don't care, I'm standing up in the kitchen, in between bites two and three of my toast n marmalade, ovating your words here. I think the nail was well and truly hit on the head with this one and especially at this time of year, when hope for the future presents itself amongst a tsunami of awfulness, that to be honest, is starting to get on quite a few people's nerves a bit.
I even read this morning that newspapers are complaining about us running out of frozen food as its all stuck in ports thanks to brexit.
Good to see they have their priorities right, as we are or have run out of test kits too and people are still dropping like flies (I assume flies are never done dropping)
Just smash your TV, radio and cancel the paper boy and stop reading their nonsense and do what we all must do, take personal responsibility for you and your loved ones and liked ones too.
We know politicos ain't the answer, so we just have to look after selves AND each other and hopefully if we ignore them (politicians) then they'll give up and shut the hell up about what We must do, while their lies are denied again and again.
Remember clap for carers? I think we should start a slow clap Thursday, for all the self serving wastes of oxygen that think it's one rule for them and another for us. I wonder if they'd deny that too! 😊
LEAD by example and treat others like they are other versions of you, trying to get through all this crazy, while getting back to basics and treating others with respect.
Phew! Sorry about that. It kinda went a bit ranty and Covidy, but what lovely words and sentiment to remind us of how things were and will be again.

[Chris Shaw]

You know Lorry, I don't trust politicians or the media. Best to eliminate them as much as possible from your everyday. That war you keep sane. They create division. They excel at it. Thank you for checking in. Back to basics. Treat others as you wish to be treated yourself. Always worked for previous generations. I can remember how kind people were when I was a kid. What went wrong? Ta for checking in.

Chris

[NFA]

A beautiful insight into how we should not let our hearts be filled with poison from negativity and bitterness. Rather, we should remain steadfast in our efforts to be gentle while face to face with certain adversity.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Victor for your understanding review. Pleased you stopped by.

Chris

[Pete]

you've really outdone yourself here. the first two verses beg for kindness as they melt even the hardest heart. the part about rust on a chain is brilliant. good advice for us all in this season. nice work chris. you know how to bloom things even in the cold of winter ... :)

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Pete, thank you for this lovely review. I hope all is good with you and I send all best wishes across the pond for a happy and healthy new year.

Chris

[M. J. Smith]

"Compassion is a must." Long has our society forgotten this truth. Thank you for reminding us. A timely poem indeed.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks for stopping by and leaving a review. All the best.

Cbris

[M. J. Smith]

You're very welcome, Chris. And your own kind reviews are deeply appreciated.

[Dylan Macadham]

Beautiful & Well-said, Chris,
Merry Christmas!
I'm looking forward to Alastair Sim's A Christmas Carol tonight, and bit of Merry Olde England :))
...In the spirit of your poem., and Dickens, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
Dylan :)

[Chris Shaw]

Merry Christmas Dylan. Hope you enjoyed A Christmas Carol. Love those old movies. Have a wonderful holiday break and thanks so much for checking in :))

[Davidgeo]

It's good writing. It get's a little cheesy at the end but, not in a way that makes this a bad poem.

You have talent.

It flows very nicely from stanza to stanza, I don't have to care about what your writing about. Until the end, but, that's not so bad. You don't end this well but, that's whatever. Most of us don't end things well.

I don't... how you think I look at you is not how I actually look at you.

[Chris Shaw]

Merry Christmas. Thanks fir checking in to review.

Chris

[Jimii]

An evoking read. Loved the broken rhyme scheme as it wonderfully reflects your emotions towards these "damaged things."

[Chris Shaw]

Many thank yous Jimii for stopping by and leaving such a thoughtful review. All the best.
read moreMany thank yous Jimii for stopping by and leaving such a thoughtful review. All the best.

Chris