Hanque O . . . - Compassion

The gentler emotions: sympathy,
empathy, compassion, get short shrift
juxtaposed with their stronger brethren:

anger, hatred, fear. But they are mighty.
Of all, compassion plows the deepest.
Its furrow, to complete the metaphor,

runs deep and true. It takes a step beyond
the sympathetic and empathetic notions
of feeling another's pain; it longs to alleviate.

It is (to date this poem) proactive. It is
the mother's healing kiss, the father's...
the father's affirmation. It is the willingness,

no, it is the gut-wrenching, heart-rending,
primal urge to take the pain upon yourself
as if it were a gift. It is the parental instinct.

Hanque O . . .

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/compassion-20/