I was taught to be kind is a poem written by Janine Magan and shared with The Ugly Writers
At five, I was taught to be kind,
“Be a good girl to get what you want.”
So, I learned to be kind,
Remembering it in a vivid font.
“You’ll enter heaven if you’re kind,”
My teacher assured me.
So, even at eight, I was kind,
And all my friends loved me.
At ten, a friend advised me,
“Be the bigger person,” she said.
So, hatred and judgment I set aside,
Letting kindness fill me instead.
By thirteen, I was a kind young lady,
I did not judge, I did not doubt.
Only kindness filled my heart,
As I spread it all about.
Then a man approached me,
“Please help me find my way home.”
I agreed with a kind “yes,”
And kindness guided me along.
But the man was not kind in return,
Yet, still, I held onto my own.
He said he had his needs,
And that I could fulfill alone.
In that moment, I chose to be kind,
Offering him that special something.
To those who taught me kindness,
Are you proud of me now?
