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Where did the kindness go?

A poem

By Josey PickeringPublished about a year ago Updated about a year ago 1 min read
Where did the kindness go?
Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash

When did we stop being kind?

The simple things became too mundane,

we stopped waving,

stopped smiling,

stopped seeing the good in one another.

We’ve lost our trust,

we’ve lost our humanity.

We forgot how to care for each other.

No one holds doors open anymore,

or helps pick you up when you fall.

We preach about the courageous,

but is there anyone with courage left at all?

People just watch and wait,

before they debate stepping in.

No one does favors anymore,

it’s when do I get paid back for my help again?

People speak loudly at the movie theater

and don’t bother to tip their waiters.

No one does things just be kind,

Everyone’s stuck in their own mind.

Is it naive to want to rewind?

Maybe I just didn’t see it back in those days,

but even now it seems to have gone the worst of ways.

Everyone’s forgotten how to love,

and that’s the hardest truth to swallow.

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About the Creator

Josey Pickering

Autistic, non-binary, queer horror nerd with a lot to say.

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Comments (4)

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  • Rachel Deemingabout a year ago

    Josey, it's there. It's not in the spotlight but it's there. And I think you and I are probably living proof of it. Take heart from that. What you're presented with by the media is what they want you to see and not necessarily the truth. It is there. I hold doors open; I have stopped my car to help a lady I saw fall over on the sidewalk. I'm probably also guilty of watching and waiting but I'm not fearful of stepping in if I needed to.

  • Esala Gunathilakeabout a year ago

    Future is much unclear. May be some comfort from these kind of poems.

  • Kay Husnickabout a year ago

    The social and political push for hyper-individualism over the years to lead us here is heartbreaking. Great poem!

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