~sympathetic Pain Poem by Adeline Foster

~sympathetic Pain

Rating: 5.0


~ Sympathetic Pain


If we had never felt a pain
How could we empathize?
Would we not be less human,
Lose some qualities divine,
If every day were happiness,
And the sun would always shine?
His quality of sympathy,
He wanted to make known
To eyes of understanding, blind,
Unless they can be shown.
So, even here within this frame,
This quality He shows,
For if one member's wracked with pain
Each other member knows.
And not one member stoops
To ridicule or blame,
But in attempt to come to aid
Each feels some of the pain.

Friday, February 17, 2012
Topic(s) of this poem: poem
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Dave Walker 17 February 2012

A really wonderful poem, like it.

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J.b. Lebuert 23 February 2012

Anoter Ten (10) Adeline Your poetry not only inspires It builds within me, great fires To continue on, with my writing Even when comments can be biting I do love your poetry It reminds me of a lovely tree Your writing expresses such human knowledge You must have a PHD, from a good college

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Poet Of The River 23 February 2012

a good write. good job. it is well done.

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Danny Draper 01 March 2012

At a basic level we animate beings are all subject to stimulus. But the higher emotions as so well expressed are best learned from interaction and shared experiences, the essence of being human.

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Chuck Audette 02 March 2012

Our fellow souls must share our hearts, if love's the goal we can't apart. Lovely piece. -chuck

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Deepak Sawhney 13 September 2013

: -) I just read the comments by Paul. He has summarised the emotion of empathy so very well. To my mind the toughest quality to imbibe is humility & thereafter learn to be grateful to 'Him' for all that one has, that others don't. May I just say that empathy has little to do with faith (Bri's comments) - but more as a desire to be a good human being. One needs to be able to look straight into the mirror, without a feeling of guilt - each day of his/her life. Very beautifully & succinctly put forth ma'am. Loved reading every bit of it.

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Paul Brookes 05 December 2012

Sympathy and empathy although tenuously related are very different animals. Sympathy is an outer feeling a feeling of sadness but not necessarily true understanding. When you have felt loss, heart break, the loss of a child, the death of a lover or been homeless, then you can feel empathy. An inner feeling This poem encapsulates the human condition that, in some way suffering can, though a harsh teacher, help us to be kinder to others and not be so judgemental. Thanks again for teaching me how to write poetry If only I could write as well as you. Still I'll keep trying, practice may not make me perfect but it might improve me. XX : 0) Paul

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Bri Edwards 19 November 2012

i was not REALLY TRYING to be so disagreeable in my previous comment. i appreciate the qualities of sympathy and empathy, though empathy almost seems to imply that one would not feel sorry for another persons pain unless that one had experienced something similar. but that is human nature and i would not shun a person's empathy. oh! i almost forgot to thank you for your comment on my poem 'prejudiced? who me? i think i remembered the title correctly.

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Bri Edwards 19 November 2012

well adeline, i don't think i follow this EXACTLY, and i wouldn't say a person has to have experienced pain in order to show sympathy. i am now an agnostic/atheist but i had a good lutheran upbringing and IN christianity (at least sometimes) charity, and kindness were emphasized as good values to live with. i've read a few other comments here. i don't feel that all pain helps us to have useful learning experiences. sometimes it just makes a person angry, depressed, unmotivated, helpless, etc. i could gladly do without those things. of course some of those afflictions.(like my lack of motivation for many things) can occur as a result of something other than pain.

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Christina Phan 24 September 2012

Without pain, we will never grow as person and learn from it.

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Adeline Foster

Adeline Foster

Instructor of poetry, Hagerstown, MD
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