How a search for kindness grew into an anthology of poems
Is kindness a quaint, ineffectual virtue?聽For poet and editor James Crews, the answer is a resounding no. As he demonstrates throughout 鈥淭he Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy,鈥� a follow-up collection to his bestselling anthology 鈥淗ow to Love the World,鈥� kindness can be life-altering. It may also help people find a way forward during the most difficult days.聽聽
Like its predecessor, 鈥淭he Path to Kindness鈥� presents more than 100 uplifting poems by acclaimed writers, including Ted Kooser, Ellen Bass, Tracy K. Smith, and Joy Harjo (the current U.S. poet laureate). The collection also features prompts for reflection or journaling, topics for reading-group discussion, and author biographical notes.聽
In a recent Zoom interview, Crews explained that he began planning 鈥淭he Path to Kindness鈥� during the first full year of the pandemic. Fear of COVID-19 was rampant at that time, and many people viewed anyone outside their household as dangerous.聽
Why We Wrote This
Poems can often bring about a shift in thought. During National Poetry Month in the United States, a new collection of poems points to kindness as an essential ingredient in building a brighter shared future.
To counter this negative thinking, Crews made a practice of finding moments of kindness in his daily life. 鈥淭his was just smiling at someone during a walk in the park or catching a glimmer in someone鈥檚 eyes when we were passing each other in the grocery store, just really small moments of connection and acknowledgment and connection to the natural world,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ut of that practice grew a desire to collect poems that suggest the world could still be a joyful, connected place, even at a time when we were more disconnected and maybe despairing more than we ever had before.鈥澛�
Over several months, Crews collected pieces for the book intuitively, choosing work he most needed to read or hear.
One poem he was drawn to immediately was 鈥淪mall Kindnesses,鈥� by Danusha Lam茅ris, which emphasizes the inherent goodness in people and how positive interactions accumulate over hours and days. 鈥淟am茅ris鈥� poem went viral after the presidential election in 2016,鈥� Crews notes.
Two other poems he chose early on were 鈥淜indness鈥� and 鈥淩ed Brocade,鈥� by Naomi Shihab Nye.
鈥溾�楰indness鈥� has been a real touchstone for readers in the past few years and became the most downloaded poem from the Academy of American Poets website during the pandemic,鈥� he says.
鈥溾�楻ed Brocade鈥� tells the story of how Arabs used to say, 鈥榃elcome whoever comes to your door, feed them, and get to know them.鈥� By the time you鈥檙e done doing that, you know the person and you鈥檙e so friendly, your differences don鈥檛 matter,鈥� he explains.聽
Crews contacted writers of diverse backgrounds, ages, and locations, both inside and beyond the United States. Some of their poems remind readers to celebrate everyday moments that could easily be overlooked or forgotten. Others, like Susan Musgrave鈥檚 鈥淢ore Than Seeing,鈥� highlight the importance of honoring the interconnectedness of life.聽
鈥淎s I put together this book, I didn鈥檛 think specifically about mapping out a path to kindness,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat title came later. But if we all did the things that are recommended in these poems, we would reach that path. And we would become much happier, more joyful people in the process.鈥�
This is not to suggest that people add more tasks to their to-do list. Poetry is continually surprising, Crews says, and allowing yourself to be surprised and delighted is a way to restore a sense of peace and tranquility. 聽
Once that need has been met, it鈥檚 easier to focus on the fact that 鈥渆very moment we have a choice, a sort of fork in the path that we reach. Are we going to approach someone with love, appreciation, connection, or are we going to turn away from them if we don鈥檛 believe in the same way that they do?鈥� he says.
What makes some people feel drained is that they confuse niceness with kindness. Niceness often means never making waves or never confronting people. 鈥淜indness, to me, is much deeper,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about acknowledging the innate value of people, not reducing them to their beliefs and opinions.鈥澛�
Crews makes this point in his preface to the collection, where he describes the despondency his husband, Brad, felt after being discharged from the military under the 鈥渄on鈥檛 ask, don鈥檛 tell鈥� policy. No one in Brad鈥檚 town knew the reason he鈥檇 left the Air Force, but small acts of kindness from neighbors, friends, and customers at the organic farm where he worked kept Brad from ending his life 鈥� and gave him a new sense of direction.聽
As people resume more normal lives, Crews hopes 鈥淭he Path to Kindness鈥� can help readers find their own way to brighter, happier days.
More Than Seeing
There is a moment before the kingfisher dives,聽
the eagle swoops, the small green ducks disappear
like the breeze in the low hanging cedar branches聽
over the river; there is a moment before I name
the kingfisher, the eagle, the ducks when I am not
the observer, I am the dart of light, rush of wings,
the trusting wind; I am grace: an end of living
in awe of things, a beginning of living with them.
鈥� Susan Musgrave
From 鈥淭he Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy,鈥� Storey Publishing, 2022. Reprinted with permission of the author.
