By -
this life -
as a whole,
in its parts -
a poem.
hers,
his,
theirs,
the tree,
the flower,
the one blade of grass,
that house,
this building,
all share
poetic existence
together.
hear their meter.
listen to their verse.
these stanzas
breathe;
each word
a single beat
of the collective heart.
do not dismiss 
your contribution 
nor the one 
of the stranger,
of the immigrant,
of the other.
claim the story.
read its whole.
read it again.
perhaps this is the way
toward life
together.
  — bshivers

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