Who We Can Be
Posted by By Maya and Sofia Mesh for KidSpirit's Human Dignity issue.
No matter where I go
There have always been people with teachings,
Insisting that they know
The true struggle behind their preachings.
What a shame it all is
I see this occur all the time,
And we can no longer truly recognize
And see our brothers and sisters when they just need a dime.
As I look upon the sky
painted red, white, and blue,
My Syrian sister looks up not satisfied
Because she can't see the sun through the air which is filled with residue.
As I look at my hands
That are almost white,
Some of my black mothers across the country
Hold hands in mourning for their sons during twilight.
As I look at my kitchen
Which is filled with milk, sugar, and beans,
My Venezuelan fathers attempt to feed their daughters and sons
With whatever food that sellers may bring through their towns.
While I sit comfortably watching
Shows about rich people and their lives,
I forget the billions out there who don’t have anything
Living below the poverty line.
And with all these dividing lines
It gets hard to see the worth of other people,
If we could only treat each other as one humankind
That is the first step of seeing each other as equals.
Maya and Sofia Mesh are sisters from New York City. When they wrote this piece, Sofia was a 13-year-old eighth grader at The Computer School, and Maya was a 15-year-old sophomore at Millennium High School.