Under Grumpa's Hat

Kindness carries weight most never see,
It drags through days already bent and sore,
When biting back feels easier than more,
Yet still it chooses grace deliberately.

It is not soft, it does not beg or plea,
It swallows words that would land cheap and loud,
It walks away while keeping shoulders proud,
A quiet strength disguised as decency.

In rooms where anger drinks for free,
And outrage gets a standing ovation encore,
Kindness pays full price, then tips some more,
And leaves without demanding victory.

It listens longer than the noise allows,
It holds its tongue though justice screams to roar,
It knows revenge is fast but leaves a scar,
And still it bows to patience, not applause.

Kindness bleeds where bitterness feels clean,
It takes the hit so others do not fall,
It answers cruelty with nothing sharp at all,
And carries on unseen, unheard, serene.

So call it heavy, call it naïve if you please,
But weakness never asks this much of me.