Humanity

Poets, philosophers, activists, martyrs:
they create and inspire
they look deep in the smoldering
and from dead coals,
 they make fire.
A passion, a zeal
these emotions I feel
create an anger and lust
that this life is cruel and
our system unjust.
My head I will not turn.
All I can say to you is
teach me; I’ll learn:
how we are different,
how we are the same
and why is that some
call you that name.
In my ignorance,
I often fail to see
that your burdens
are not mine;
that you still
 fight to be free.
I look at you
and you at me
but so often
we fail to see
that the shroud
 is only as thin
as we make it
and that repression,
hatred, bigotry…
we all hate it!
Therefore, though I can’t relate wholly to your background,
your family, your journey or the god that you have found,
I’m equally a mystery with my rarities and history.
All I can say is that through this veil
And underneath our derma
Pumps, gushes, flows
The same color
without
guise
or
guile
or
values
or
views
or
hatred
or
love
in different hues.
Underneath, I can’t even tell if you are me and I am you.