No one asks for applause.

You arrive early,

stay late,

make the coffee,

set the chairs in a circle

so no one sits alone.

You carry light in your hands—

not the kind that blinds,

but the kind that warms.

You plant flowers in soil

that remembers every touch.

You gather the overlooked moments and make them holy

You listen,

not to reply,

but to understand.

You build bridges

from silence to song,

from need to nourishment,

from stranger to friend.

You do the work that matters—

the quiet kind,

the kind that doesn’t trend,

but transforms.

You make beauty

where there was blankness.

You make safety

where there was fear.

You weave beloved community

from the threads of service

and the fabric of love.

This is legacy.

This is love.

This is hope

with its sleeves rolled up. 

Poem developed and edited by Vanessa Self using CoPilot, as a gesture of appreciation