Your words and actions
are like raindrops
that fall on every person and thing
you meet
Sometimes, they fall on rocks
that remain unchanged and unaffected
as you roll off of them
Sometimes, they fall on sponges
that drink you in
and allow your essence,
good or bad,
will seep into their pores.
Always speak and act
with compassion
For you never know
when you’re meeting a sponge
And sometimes,
just one of your tiny drops
can be an ocean of clean water
for someone dying of thirst
or a violent storm
for someone whose foundation
was already
crumbling

(written summer 2019)