A Gathering of Poetry | July 2025
I have been focused on finding gratitudes this week and as Thursday arrives it seems that when I look for things to be grateful for…they are everywhere. The act of seeking out gratitude has also had the most delightful impact on my attitude.
I stumbled across the poem I am sharing today earlier this month, but I have been re-visiting it almost daily since discovering it. And this week, the poet who wrote it tops my gratitude list.
When Giving Is All We Have
by Alberto Ríos
One river gives
Its journey to the next
We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.
We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.
We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—
Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.
Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:
Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.
You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me
What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made
Something greater from the difference.
When Giving Is All We Have © 2015 by Alberto Ríos.
You can learn more about Alberto Ríos here and here. You will find his website here.
A huge thanks to Bonny for gathering us all together today, make sure you stop by and see what others have shared today!