Five siblings inherit a blanket. They lie beneath it, together, to stay warm.
          But arms and legs stick out and the siblings squabble and tug. They do
          not realize that they would all fit if they just moved closer together.

This is the Blanket Story. Poets, artists, and musicians have responded to this tale in creative ways. All poems appear here, our ONLINE POETRY SHOWCASE. Visit our main page to find out more about the project.

Karyn Mackenzie

Rich And Poor

You may be rich, you may be poor, you may have little, you may have more.
You may have brains, or maybe good looks, you may be one of the worlds greatest cooks.
Whatever the size of your bank account, or special talent you can boast about,
stop and remember this important advice:  What counts is whether you are nasty or nice.
When someone is suffering or in dire need, are you kind? Or are you selfish and mean?
We think of ourselves too often I guess, not whether our neighbor is in distress.
It’s easy to lend a hand or an ear—it might seem too hard—but will your conscience be clear?
I see so much pain, so much suffering too, but I also see joy and good things people do.
If I lost heart in the goodness of life, I might want to die by the sword or the knife.
Give some joy, give a smile, give a dollar, go the extra mile.
It’s a simple thing, being kind and caring, yet most of the world is in conflict and sin.
Sometimes things go wrong and that’s not a fun way to live, but this is how we learn to gain perspective.
I could ramble for days on the lessons I’ve learnt, the many ways that I have been hurt,
then I look at some children who suffer from Cancer and therein I realize I found my answer.
My life may seem rough but there’s worse that could be, when someone else has it tougher than me.
So stop for a moment, let it sink in to your brain, that someone, somewhere is in greater pain.