I did not know kindness isn't always loud,
not the grand gestures, not the
throw-the-coat-over-a-puddle,
because sometimes
it is simply someone sitting on the ground 
just because you did, even though 

You vacuum the carpet in the same direction, 
straight lines like ribs, hoping to be noticed, 
hoping someone sees proof of you, 
the ghost of your hands pressed into the fibers.