Golden afternoon light

Suffused in golden sunshine,

In the waning afternoon,

Grateful for light and love,

I send it to all who face discrimination and hatred.

Why must we plumb the depths of humanity,

After millions of years have engendered,

The jewels of compassion and empathy?

Sexuality, disability, gender identity, skin color, nationality;

None define our essential nature.

We are linked by our capacity to care,

To love one another.

Anything else is a rejection of the forces that brought us forth to this moment.

Cruelty, like trauma, brings dissociation,

From the truth of who we are.

We must rescue ourselves by opening our hearts,

To everything and everyone.

Including our selves.

It is the only path that can save us.

And we are worth saving….