"I Am Not Your Enemy" a poem by C.D. Burr

 

"Love one another, as I have loved you." John 13:34-35

I am not your enemy.

I am your neighbor, your friend, your sister, your brother

I obey laws, dine at fine restaurants

and attend religious services

I was born into a cycle of abuse and neglect

I have no Savior

I live in a comfortable home with a manicured lawn

I sleep on the streets beside a shopping cart filled with all that I own

I stand during the national anthem, hand on heart

I kneel, with head bowed

I  am a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent

I never participate in elections

I am white-skinned

a person of color

an immigrant

a reporter

a soldier

a farmer

a politician

I display the stars and stripes

I wave a rainbow banner

I am not your enemy

Like you, I am an American

And our enemy is

Ignorance.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay