Naomi Shihab Nye at Smith by Kat

Wednesday night I heard a wonderfully life-affirming poetry reading by Naomi Shihab Nye... have you read anything by her? I think you would like her; what a beautiful and caring person. She's the type who can have everyone waiting at an airport gate start talking to each other. She goes up to soldiers and engages them in warm conversation, then writes empassioned anti-war poems with the conviction of a mother who cares for the world so much it hurts.

Poets.org features this beautiful description of her writing:
The poet William Stafford has said, "her poems combine transcendent
liveliness and sparkle along with warmth and human insight. She is a c
hampion of the literature of encouragement and heart. Reading her work
enhances life.

"From Nye's poem "Streets"
If we stand quietly enough evenings
there grows a whole company of us
standing quietly together.
overhead loud grackles are claiming their trees
and the sky which sews and sews, tirelessly sewing,
drops her purple hem.
Each thing in its time, in its place,
it would be nice to think the same about people.