Today, in History, Graciela had to read James Berry’s poem What To Do With A Variation and was then asked to write another stanza describing how she would like her community to see differences today. Graciela’s additional stanza is in italics.
What do we do with a difference?
Do we stand and discuss its oddity
or do we ignore it?
Do we shut our eyes to it
or poke it with a stick?
Do we clobber it to death?
Do we move around it in rage
and enlist the rage of others?
Do we will it to go away?
Do we look at it in awe
or purely in wonderment?
Do we work for it to disappear?
Do we pass it stealthily
or change route away from it?
Do we will it to become like ourselves?
What do we do with a difference?
Do we communicate to it,
let application acknowledge it
for barriers to fall down?
Differences have the blame
the shame
the pain
Each has a difference
and some have more
Why don’t we leave our differences
at the door
Everyone is different.
Working towards acceptance
should be
our goal
