Good Deeds in Silence
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GOOD DEEDS IN SILENCE
The chairs are still upside-down on the tables.
Sunlight’s pushing through the blinds like it's not sure it belongs here.
I wipe the same spot on the bar twice. Habit.
This place smells like old wood, stale chips, and yesterday’s laughter.
No one's here yet, and that’s the way I like it.
They don’t see much when they come in.
They see their own troubles, their own drinks, their own reasons for sitting down.
I see more than that.
Not because I’m special. Just because I also listen.
There’s a rhythm to loneliness.
He came in three weeks ago, sat where the sun hits around 6 p.m.
Said he was just passing through, but stayed for the wings.
She always comes in Thursdays, end of shift.
Nurse, tired, proud, never says it.
She laughs like someone trying to remember how.
Their eyes met for half a second.
Not even a story. Just an accident.
But I saw it.
I’ve seen a thousand glances and none stuck like that one.
So I did what I could.
Kept their drink tabs near each other.
Played the right song at the right time.
Mentioned her favorite beer when he asked what was good.
Told her he liked crossword puzzles, though he never said it.
It’s not lying, if it’s kind.
It’s not meddling, if no one gets hurt.
And it’s not magic, just noticing.
Now they talk like they’ve always known each other.
He leaves her notes on napkins.
She brings extra cookies and says she baked too many.
Neither knows I started it.
Neither needs to.
The good things don’t need applause.
Let the stage be empty. Let the light stay low.
Let people believe the stars just aligned.
What matters is they smile now.
They stay longer.
Maybe love is just a well-timed nudge.
Maybe kindness is best served quiet.
I’ll open the doors in five minutes.
They’ll come in, they’ll laugh, they’ll live.
I’ll be here, polishing a glass I’ve already cleaned.
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Shared with DVerse Poets Pub in celebration of Leo Tolstoy's birthday, this poem is based on a quote from Anna Karenina: "It is much better to do good in a way that no one knows anything about it."
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Chris, this tugged at my heartstrings. Such a tender, thoughtful reflection on service in various forms. After all, that’s what life’s all about. “Not because I’m special. Just because I also listen.” Here’s to listening.
ReplyDelete“ The good things don’t need applause.” This is a kick ass line. I agree 100%. I like the narrative about the bartender and the patron who come in and the little tiny details. This is a very lovely poem. Personally I apologize for being an anonymous. For some reason it won’t let me select my Google account to tell you who I am, but I am Aaron. I have always enjoyed your poetry.
ReplyDeleteI love your poem! It is such a heartfelt story. You were playing cupid in the shadows! wonderful.
ReplyDelete"Maybe love is just a well-timed nudge.
ReplyDeleteMaybe kindness is best served quiet."
You got some maybe s in there like i hae in mine too
Much♡love
"a well-timed nudge." Love the story and feel like it translates a little into what I do, being a teacher, trying not to preach but to nudge ideas into open minds for them (the ideas and the humans) to find the way.
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed your good deeds in silence, Chris, the way you set the scene in the opening lines transported me to that bar, especially the personification of sunlight, and the smell ‘like old wood, stale chips, and yesterday’s laughter’. I love the brief cameos, the attentiveness of the bartender, ‘not magic, just noticing’, and the end result.
ReplyDeleteI love the good deeds. to just be there in the background, offering a place. to connect or just someplace to be warm... could it be better+
ReplyDelete"It’s not lying, if it’s kind. It’s not meddling, if no one gets hurt. And it’s not magic, just noticing." This line, in a nutshell, is a philosophy I follow as closely as possible. The next time I wander into a bar, I want a bartender just like you!!!!
ReplyDelete