By Andrew R. Duckworth
“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”
Proverbs 12:25 NIV
And how often have I,
In a coarse state of mind,
Delivered words that are unkind?
Too often.
Far too often.
Perhaps it is that I,
In my viciousness, did invite
Anxiety into my life.
Yet, I can’t deny
That a kind word will lift
My stony heart from the deep
Of worry and doubt
And break apart the casing
At the cracks,
Where other kindness
Has done its work.
Daily is my conversion,
A process that does not end
And my learning does not bend-
Should I remain open
To things not of this world-
And, while open to lend,
A word of kindness to a neighbor
May lift them from the deep.
Poetry of Andrew Ryan Duckworth 