rainbow

by Linda M. Crate

"Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud." — Maya Angelou

There are so many critics,
be an encourager
the world is already full of scoffers
scorners and indifferent
dark souls
who only seem content when they rip
someone apart thread by
tenuous thread;
who wants to be remembered
as the villain of the story
in the chapters
of anyone's life?
be a rainbow in someone else's cloud,
the reason they can smile
on a dark and difficult day;
you never know
how much you can enrich someone's life
just by being a rose
instead of a thorn—
put down your torches and neglect your
witch hunts for there's not a perfect
person that roams this earth;
just remember
that everyone's fighting a tough battle of their
own, and the last thing they need
is yet another
telling them they're doing it wrong
as they journey along their
way.