**Poetry: This Much Is True

(in memoriam)

I know this much is true- 

That kindness in men exists. 

Of course kindness is queer.

It was not made male or female,

Though it is beyond doubt

The very image of God

But I am speaking about 

that space in low-noted sentences

where softness grows

without care for money or fame-

Or the way an old gent's laughter

gets sprinkled like fairy dust

to guide the footsteps

of one who is lost.

This kindness tells you 

you are worthy- 

Love is not earned, 

but birthright

It is a gift you received as a child

that does not end

with the closing of the casket

Or the years that have stretched 

out bony and starving between you.

Where there was Nothing 

material

to be gained

that was any use 

to the soul. 

But those who were given

the gift

understood 

the ways loss

carves a space for caring- 

And kindness 

is not something to be hoarded

but shared-

like a soft place to rest

or a hot cup of coffee

served

from his warm, strong hands.