The Rider

Poems about loneliness are common in the literary canon, particularly poems about multiculturalism and immigration. Immigration poems have expanded the literary context of poems about loneliness; often immigrants have a feeling of existing between two worlds. Naomi Shihab Nye is no exception. Raised in both America and Palestine, she grew up in two worlds. Her poems, starting with her first collection Different Ways to Pray (1980), consider the many cultures, religions, borders, and people that make up our global earth.

Nye’s poem “Kindness” is a strong example of a poem that explores multiculturalism, loss, and loneliness. The poem opens by saying that loss prefaces a knowledge of “what kindness really is.” (Nye, Naomi Shihab. “Kindness.” 1995. Poets.org). Using a second-person point of view, the poem tries to foster empathy between the reader and those of different cultural backgrounds and experiences: “[Y]ou must travel where the Indian in a white poncho / lies dead by the side of the road. / You must see how this could be you” (Lines 14-16). The poem concludes with the concept of kindness, genuine care for others from different cultures, and ultimately compassion.