The Gentle Man’s Bet
Mary Sheehy Moe
For Oliver at 14 weeks (March 11)
Just be a gentle man, sweet boy:
That’s this grandmother’s advice.
The world loves handsome, bright and bold,
But you can’t go wrong with nice.
The gentle man is not defined
By upper-crust norms or rules.
Too often, cruelty comes packed
In those codes and creeds and schools.
So poke holes in others’ thinking,
But handle their hearts with care.
You never know what wayward wind
Blew the thorn or thistle there.
Settle slowly upon the truth;
It comes in varying hues.
Seeing it as black and white
Can give license to abuse.
Walk softly through the universe.
Each generation’s time is fleeting,
But I saw wonders you won’t see
Because mine gave the earth a beating.
This above all, my darling boy,
With “thine own self” be gentle.
You’re in one body all your life;
Don’t treat it like a rental.
Laugh at yourself and love yourself;
Find your best and forgive your worst.
You’ll learn to accept the outside world
By embracing what’s inside first.
In the end, like the beginning,
Life is pretty fundamental.
It’s all what, whom, and how you touched.
So reach out, dear. And be gentle.
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