Different but the Same

My skin is whiter than the snow that kisses the peaks of the mountains

My roots are more knarled than the roots of an aged willow

My hair, my eyes, my mouth

None of them are ordinary.

My legs have carried me unbareable distances like those escaping on the Railroad 

My feet have been cracked and worn by the dirt of the earth I have labored over

My ankles, my calves, my thighs

None of them are ordinary.

My hands have turned over the pencil which has written my way past adversity

My blood has coursed through my veins like an angry river

My thoughts, my mind, my courage

None of them are ordinary.

My heart is a deep ocean rocked by the currents

Of racist attitudes and discriminatory remarks

That I have been told and heard

Every individual is unique, yet similar carrying many commalities:

Our skin is a color, as are our eyes

Our histories are lengthy and complex

We carry heritage, character, imperfection, struggle, conflict and discrimination

Abandon the loathsome idea of separation.