living a blessed life
a storybook life
ever fully understand the plight of the poor
the ones the world has left behind
even if you care
even if you are intimately aware of the problems
that these unlucky ones bear
are you ever willing to fully share in their pain
to throw in your lot with the weak and the lame?
No.
You keep your distance
as they say all social service providers should do.
I'm just not sure that is the truth
or just one more lie we've created
to keep that distinction between them and me.
You and we.
There is this knot down within
that if I truly believe we are equal
that the qualities that unite us as people
are far more important than class, religion, gender, income level,
ethnicity, sexuality, geography...
that every excuse I can muster for
how we are different, separated, unique
pales in the light of our commonalities
that every wall I attempt to build
is simply filled with my fear
my unwillingness to give up the things I hold dear
as a lucky one.
A privileged one.
But walls of fear are lies
and they are thin
for even when we cannot see the problems
we can still hear the cries echoing in our souls.
