“Darkness cannot
drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out
hate: only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther
King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches
A spectrum of
colors surrounds us
The world is full
of beauty
An open mind lets
people in
Strives for
understanding
Respects
differences
Allows one to
appreciate all
Our homes differ
Wealthy
Middle-Class
Poor
We share the same
Earth
Walk the same land
Breathe the same
air
Feel the warmth of
the sun
Astonishment of
the night
A vast sky
Stars luminous
A moon we all
share
Makes the World
seem small
We share a common
thread
One life given to
us
One short life to
cherish
Hate can easily
consume our thoughts
Distort our images
An open heart
Embraces life
A smile to a
stranger
A heartfelt Thank
You
A helping hand
A voice to protect
Goes beyond
understanding
Embraces
differences
Young
Old
Disabled
All shades of
brown
A choice is
respected
For the person we
are or strive to be
Encouragement
Support
Belief in an
individual
A welcoming hug
A gentle touch
A nod of the head
Reassures
Life
Importance
Love
Alicia... Absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite lines are:
"An open mind lets people in - strives for understanding"
"Feel the warmth of the sun - astonishment of the night"
and the most wonderful of all...
"A choice is respected - for the person we are or strive to be"
This last line suggests the ongoing journey that we hope to make to develop anti-bias awareness.
I also appreciated the line:
"A nod of the head - reassures - life - importance - love"
This line suggests the critical significance of simple, non-verbal gsetures of appreciation and recognition.
Beautiful, beautiful poetry. I hope that you will perhaps share more.
I love how your poem travels from pointing out differences to reminding us how much we have in common despite and because of these, and outlines the how support and love towards one another guides us to see the importance of our own lives and the lives of others. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love your poem. It is so honest and reminds us that although we may have differences we still have so much in common. It is the little things that we do to show someone that we care that matter more than anything. The little things are those that people easily overlook such as, "A smile to a stranger" and "A heartfelt Thank You" as you pointed out in your poem. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAlicia,
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful poem.I really think you truly captured what diversity is.I like the parts that says ,we walk the same land,breathe the same air,and a heartfelt thank you. I think sometimes we as adults tend to forget how much those words can make a person's day. And the picture at the end of the hands in the sand is just awesome.