Humanity

What divides us

What stops us from reaching out

If we are welded together by our common humanity

Every person I see is just like me

I may not know their name, but I know they have a name

They may be Muslim or Zoroastrian for all I know

Partnered or single, a ring can mean many things

I might suspect their ethnicty

Somali or Eritrean, I could be wrong

But they are smiling, I know they are happy

They are crying, I recognise distress

They are running, I run too when I am in a hurry

I hear them talk, I cannot understand what they are saying

But I recognise a greeting in any language

They smile down at a baby

How universal is that

They yell at their scampering children

Telling them to be careful on a busy street

I am suddenly multilingual

The gulf between races, religions, cultures exists only in our minds

Nurtured by fear or ignorance or bigotry