(For World Kindness Day)*
Let the sun break out today
From the bluest corner of its sky
Let houses throw open their doors
To the street and its endless banters
Let the lion retract its claws
And embrace the lamb
Let the viper swallow its venom
And coil into a harmless bundle
Extend a helping hand to the not-so-strong
For therein lies the truth of your own strength
Cage the tiger of foul road rage
Yield a yard in your spacious lane
Lower that fence and its barbed barrier
Let your mouth find your neighbour’s ear
Show the thirsty
The way to your well
Bring the balm
To those in pain
Feed mournful moments
With the loaf of your laugher
Stretch your s-m-i-l-e
Beyond a mile . . . .
Let Peace break out
On the grave of waste-ful wars
The Universe is the Sound
Humanity is the Song
A truly large heart
Is not a medical problem
*November 13, 2023
Niyi Osundare, one of Africa’s foremost poets and academics, is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of English, University of New Orleans.
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