And besides all this –
Besides wars and floods,
Besides illness and death,
Besides storms and earthquakes,
Besides random and orchestrated violence,
Besides the sinister, rippling presence of evil,
Between us and you –
Between east and west,
Between young and old,
Between shunned and shunning,
Between fruitful and barren,
Between colored and colorless,
A great chasm has been fixed.
In the passive voice:
We don't know who fixed it,
or why,
or how.
Just that it’s been fixed.
In order that those who would pass –
Would transcend difference,
Would accept a new perspective,
Would warm stone and soften iron,
Would build ladders and weave bridges,
Would step outside of their other-ness,
From here to you –
From then to now,
From imprisoned to free,
From stuck to inspired,
From rocky to smooth,
From one to two to ten,
May not be able –
Able to embrace,
Able to understand,
Able to smile bravely,
Able to foster renewal,
Able to see through the fog,
And none may cross –
None of the lonely,
None of the trapped,
None of the repentant,
None of the ordinary,
None of the suffering,
From there to us.
