I see you standing on the street corner
January chill, old cardboard sign
While Boulder passes you by
My heart cringes every time,
Guilt grips my stomach and I, too
Avoid your eyes
Small offering, ziploc of granola
a few words exchanged
To appease my conscience, like I’ve somehow helped
But I want to do more than that-
I long to acknowledge your humanity,
And when I don’t meet your gaze,
It’s me, not you, that I’m avoiding
I long to make a small moral movement
On this stage we’re acting on
To say “this is what I believe in:
Human dignity, connection, compassion”
To stop wounding our souls with inaction
In denial of our brothers and sisters
Who at core are no different from us.
Christine Greenwald 