I am you

I feel

I think

I dream and hope

I long for peace

And for a place of belonging

I wish for safety and freedom

To hear my family laugh

To have fresh water

Enough food

A place to call home

Friends

To be able to travel

To be valued

To be respected

To not be afraid or have to fight

To not have to hide

To just be able to be

To be supported to be me

But

Politics

Beliefs

Attitudes

Greed

Religion

Culture

Imposes how I must think

How I must act

Who I must like

And who I must hate

So I no longer am you

And you no longer are me

All we have become

Are reflections

Pawns

In the fight for domination

Where in the end

You are I are forever lost and without value

In the shadow of control and power that has no end to its greed … its hunger

I am you

The same as you

The same as me

Black yellow brown white christian palestinian jew hindu none or other gay straight both or not boy girl neither either rich poor smart dumb king cleaner teacher student old young

Hearts beat

Blood flows

Tears

Laughter

Love

If we just dropped our guns

And reached out our hands

To help

To embrace

Rather than to punish

To destroy

I am you