the kindness of strangers

They’d have you believe it’s a dog-eat-dog world, where everyone’s out for themselves, and only the strong survive. One look at our supposedly glorious leaders (there where they are because of the good fortune of birth rather than any appreciable talent) shows exactly why they’d like to believe it.

Look around you, and life isn’t as they claim. It’s full of small kindnesses, people who volunteer in their communities, run foodbanks, care for others, and look out for those who need help. Folk who create art and understand how it can lift our spirits and put joy in our hearts.

This week, I’ve been especially touched by the generosity of talented artists who’ve asked to put their own spin on my poem ‘Fatima’. It’s been put to music, quite wonderfully, and now there’s a video of it, too. My thanks and deep gratitude to Patrick Dunn for taking the audio of me reading the poem and creating this brilliant video from it. It’s an incredible piece of art.

If you’d like to share it with family and friends, please do. It might just put a smile on their faces too. #SaveTheArts