A poem for E

I look at our world
and the state of it grieves me
Do I see my own wrongs
or does my heart deceive me?

Those without sin
are to cast the first stone
My pockets are empty
I have nothing to throw

It’s easy to point fingers
and blame it on others
forgetting that all of us
are sisters and brothers

We’re all made in God’s image
His joy, His delight
We were not made for hatred
we weren’t built for this fight

I envision the world
where I want you to thrive
to be all that you can be
and not merely survive

But the color of your skin
means others may judge you
They may turn their backs
they may hate you, begrudge you

I want things to change
but where to begin?
I know it must start
by looking within

The white privilege bubble
where I’m living must pop
before I can expect
racism “out there” to stop

It begins in my home
It begins with repenting
and turning from the sin
that is so unrelenting

It’s a process to uproot
all the weeds in my soul
but I remember my reasons
I remember the goal

I think of George and Ahmaud
Philando and Tamir
Breonna and Eric
and the others no longer here

I think of you, E
and I think of the twins
of your inherent worth
and your dignity within

I want your lives to be full
for you to play free from harm
I want the world to receive you
with kind, loving arms

So today I’ll put one foot
in front of the other
as we remember that all of us
belong to each other

And if the world continues
to surround you with fear
my arms are wide open
and I’ll be right here