“Empathy” by Sergio Maestrini
no such thing as
invisible illness
it’s right there
behind unfocused eyes
under fricative
sighs of speech
in detached
helpless gestures
if only you
care to notice
From my books Bohemian Scents and Legacies (vol. 1)
Empathy
All posts tagged Empathy
Image from Pinterest
standing one’s ground
avails limited perspective
the other guy’s shoes
From my books Ephemera and Riverthink
“Birds of Paradise” by Vicente Manansala
none are so tender
as those who shed tears
for the pain of a child
for suffering innocence
none are so selfless
as those who give succor
where want is abroad
where despair keeps the clock
none are so loving
as those who raise prayer
for a peaceable world
for the gentlest of journeys
none are so human
as those whose compassion
informs every motive
informs every action they take
these unprepossessed souls
these rare undivine spirits
reveal to the rest of us
pathways to grace
From my book Small Noise
“Empathy” by Sergio Maestrini
no such thing as
invisible illness
it’s right there
behind eyes
under fricative
sighs of speech
in detached
helpless gestures
if only you
care to notice
Detail from Lascaux Cave Painting
the poetry of pain
wants to agonize
words wants to
rage on a page
sharp abstractions
to sever the mind
from the brainstem
like chemical knives
of the pharmacist
cut through loud
neurotransmissions
to give madding
minutes of rarefied
mind-altered peace
it’s been known
since the caves
of Lascaux that
art drawn from
savage experience
comes to acquire
chary reverence
we suffering poets
articulate wails in
our resonant caves
huddled inside the
echoes aspiring to
quiver the igneous
marrow of mountains
From my book Music of Scars
“Gentle Soul II”
Painting by Madeline Garrett
From madelinegarrett.artspan.com
none are so tender
as those who shed tears
for the pain of a child
for suffering innocence
none are so selfless
as those who give succor
where want is abroad
where despair keeps the clock
none are so loving
as those who raise prayer
for a peaceable world
for the gentlest of journeys
none are so human
as those whose compassion
informs every motive
informs every action they take
these unprepossessed souls
these rare undivine spirits
reveal to the rest of us
pathways to grace
“The Gift of Empathy”
Painting by Julianna Wells
From fineartamerica.com
standing one’s ground
avails limited perspective
the other guy’s shoes
Poesy plus Polemics 