Kindness

“Kindness” is a 34-line poem made up of three irregular stanzas: 13 lines, 7 lines, and 14 lines. The poem is written in free verse, meaning it has no consistent poetic structure, rhyme scheme, or meter. This reflects the trends that poetry was following at the time that the poem was written. The lines vary in length, with shorter lines being used for emphasis: “you must lose things” (Line 2) is only four syllables, though it encompasses one of the poem’s central themes. Other lines, such as “you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho” (Line 15), sprawl across 14 syllables. Longer lines like these allow more emphasis to shorter, powerful standalone ideas; for example: “how he too was someone” (Line 18).

Although the poem has no rhyme or meter, it makes use of repeated words, sounds, and phrases to enhance its rhythm. Instances of alliteration and consonance lend the poem a musicality, such as the repeated H sounds in “held in your hand” (Line 5) and the repeated hard Cs in “counted and carefully” (Line 6).