Kindness starts by
Looking people in the eye
And welcoming them whole
Into your soul.

Those who belong
Will come into your gaze,
Those whose hearts are wrong
Will look sideways.

I’m not just talking about
The outer look -
For the story inside will come out
Of the soul’s book
When honesty, sincerity and kindness
Break through dishonest blindness.

A kind gaze can be revealing too
When the other person’s heart is not true.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river