Kindness Poem - Pleasanton Teen Poet Laureate

This poem was written by Varsha Vaidyanath, Pleasanton’s Teen Poet Laureate in support of Unity Day.  Unity Day is on October 25th to spread the message for communities to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. 

Bean Stalk

Kindergarten, where I learned to grow a kinder garden
Planted the seeds of “please” and “thank you”
And with a little sunshine, they grew and grew
And sprouted into warmth and kindness
Like a bean stalk, I climbed slowly but surely
Not forgetting what I had learned
A long climb up
And I finally reached the top
Only to discover an ogre
No please, no thank you, no warmth, no kindness
Alone and scared, there was nowhere to go
I’m sure the ogre was once a kindergartener too, I thought
If only he could find it in his heart to say please and thank you
Then he would understand
The ogre did teach me something important
To share the seeds of kindness with everyone
Whether the seeds be big or small
Their opportunity to grow is endless