Poetry

Peg Hunter photo

By

Alice Smith

Perhaps The Fence Will Fall

If I descend

to my hands and knees

and dig through

my personal patch

of closely held opinions,

and you

who live on the other side

agree to do the same

who knows what sort of soil

our digging will unearth.

If we loosen the land

perhaps the fence will fall,

and we might soon discover

a fertile circle

of common ground.

Deeply Intertwined

Your skin may not be white like mine,

but be it black or brown

or something in between

the hearts inside our epidermis

beat to a common drum.

Your eyes may not be blue,

but be they brown

or green or grey

they cry like mine

in a similar, salty way.

Our tears and fears

are deeply intertwined.

Every one of us

shudders at the thought

of being torn apart

from those we dearly love

or being left alone

crying in the dark.

Every one of us

needs to be nourished

and needs to be hugged,

needs to be wanted

and needs to be loved.

We see the same stars

and walk the same earth

yet somehow we’re different

from the moment of birth.

Although we’re distinct

we’re also the same

all seeking solace

and avoiding pain.

In times of tribulation,

tension and division

may our eyes be opened

to see our commonality

and our hearts be willing

to share the holy mystery

that dwells in all humanity.

Alice Smith

Alice Smith lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with her husband Alfred and their dog Leroy. Together they have four children and four grandchildren. She is the author of five collections of poetry – A Place Where Secret Shadows Shine, I Wonder…, Still Becoming, The Rhythm of Stillness, and That Little Girl.