NEPHART.COM

What makes a good leader?

good question

for me

replace what with you

remove the extra noise

and the answer stands up

a good leader speaks clear

no secret doors

no private subtitles

just honest daylight

good is only a word

waiting for the right shoulders

but these days

people wear it like a sticker

and quietly peel it off

when nobody is looking

you cannot build a leader

from spare parts and loud promises

no ego

only humility

patience

down to earth

a small flame of spirit

if I list every quality

I might sound like a machine

trying to learn how to breathe

but a leader is simple

someone you can trust with your vote

someone ready to sit on your boat

when the river grows teeth

someone brave enough

to drag the sewage of society to court

and not wash their hands afterward

some believe a leader must be cold

empty of emotion

all rules and iron shoes

others imagine a compassionate one

building skyscrapers of happiness

where people can see their future

through clean glass

education without chains

health without fear

helping people stand again

on their own two feet

a leader who makes you pause

before throwing rubbish on the street

as if the trash itself

could look back at you

and ask why

a leader shining like a quiet gem

stitched into the flag

stitched into the map

stitched into the daily bread of people

feet deep in the soil

head knocking on the stars

a good leader

is not a throne

not a loud microphone

not a heavy crown

just a human being

big enough to carry others

without trying to look tall

a good leader

could invite aliens for dinner

and somehow

everyone at the table

would feel at home