BE KIND

‘Kindness’ Was Most Popular Poem on Poets.org in 2018

It was written by American poet Naomi Shihab Nye.

Poetry readers were looking for a little kindness in 2018. A poem titled “Kindness” by American poet Naomi Shihab Nye was the most popular work on poets.org this year, the Academy of American Poets announced Wednesday. The poem, which features such lines as, “It is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes,” was clicked on by more than 250,000 people this year. Nye, 66, said in a statement that she was inspired to write the poem after she was robbed on a bus in Colombia and a man was murdered. She was thankful to have her pencil and notebook, and to be alive. Nye’s books include Transfer and Red Suitcase.

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