Burning the Old Year

"Kindness" by Naomi Shihab Nye (1995)

In her poem “Kindness” (published in The Words Under the Words, 1995), Nye explores the polarity of kindness and sorrow. As absence is explored in “Burning the Old Year,” in “Kindness,” absence is seen as an uncanny tool allowing the reader to find kindness. Times of sorrow lead the reader to appreciate and discover kindness in the world. In the poem, Nye depicts how the duality of the good and the bad periods in life help the reader create a cohesive human experience.

"Two Countries" by Naomi Shihab Nye (1995)

In “Two Countries” (published in The Words Under the Words, 1995), Nye uses delicate metaphor to shape skin as a scope of memory for the speaker’s and readers’ lives. As seen in Nye’s other poetry, the theme of absence proliferates in “Two Countries,” as touch and the absence of touch is used as emotional memory for the body. Loneliness and hope are subsequent themes in the poem.

"The Words Under the Words" by Naomi Shihab Nye (1995)

Written for her sitti (grandmother), in “The Words Under the Words” (the titular poem from The Words Under the Words, 1995), Nye relates an admiring perspective through the exploration of her sitti’s hands, days, voice, and eyes.