You Tell Me

You tell me I don’t like you because of your colour
Yet I’m lonely and would welcome any friend
You may be the person who can help me through this
The one that makes me laugh when I can’t think anymore
The person who can see the wood for the trees
And shine a light back into my life

You tell me I’m against you because of your gender
Yet you look amazing and so much fun
I’d welcome you into my dull and isolated world
And you would be a brightness in anyone’s day

In a world where it’s right to be
Respectful of differences
The one has become all
All white people think…
All people of colour think…
One can never be all
Thus the statements are not true

We need to find and establish trust
We can do that by meeting each person
As a unique individual
And finding out who they are
Discovering how they think
And making a decision from there

Not a judgement
Not deciding whether they’re
Good enough to be in our orbit
Simply reaching an understanding
Of whether we can connect
In a way that’s positive for all
Or not
And acting accordingly

In the meantime let us remember
That humans are raised by humans
Parents are right in the eyes of a child
And sometimes pleasing your parents
Is the only safe way to live

As such no matter our origins
No matters our race
No matter our gender
We may be a product of thinking
That is not ours
And the others may be a product of thinking
That is not theirs

History may be controlling the present
But now is the time for change
Acknowledging the past is one thing
Doing things differently
Is the only thing that moves us forward
To somewhere we all want to be

A genuinely inclusive and respectful place
Without barriers
That never existed in the first place

Deb Hawken
January 2024