We are tulips and daffodils and roses and petunias.
We share borders but have no boundaries.
We are all different, yet all the same.
Never jealous of the other’s beauty for we know our own.
Sometimes we are trampled by the feet of oppression,
But we rise
Again.
And again.
And again
Because our legacy is strong and deep.
We are great oaks and pines and maples,
We are all different, yet all the same.
We stand tall and strong yet give shelter to the smallest
and most vulnerable of creatures as well as
the most ferocious.
We are forests asking nothing in return except not to be used
to build barriers and fences.
We whisper to children, come swing on my branches
and climb on my limbs for you add sweetness to the air
Because our legacy is strong and deep.
We are oceans and rivers and lakes,
All different, yet all the same.
We can roar like mighty Neptune creating swiftly moving currents,
or beckon with softness and serenity.
We can move mountains; we keep going; we don’t give up.
We never offend or boast because we know our identity
and we love each other for who and what we are.
We give rest to the weary, comfort the lost and offer peace
to the despairing always sharing never withholding.
Because our legacy is strong and deep.
We are black and brown and white, Asian, African, Hispanic, European, North American, South American, Central American, Russian, Australian, Jamaican, English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish.
We are Everyman.
We are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and friends.
We laugh and weep; we pray and love.
Sometimes we are angry.
We are all different, yet all the same and
Sometimes we too are trampled by the feet of oppression,
But we rise
Again. And again.
And again
Because our legacy is strong and deep.
And because
We see the crack in the asphalt where one single flower takes root.
We shed light on it.
We water it.
We nurtured it and love it.
It survives and thrives
Because our legacy is strong and deep.
Nancy Francese is retired from teaching English at Freehold Township HS and creative writing and short story at Brookdale Community College. She has been published in Bright Flash Literary Review and is currently working on a collection of essays about her experiences living on a farm, her 25-year teaching career and the loss of her husband in 2017. Nancy has a son, daughter-in-law and two fabulous grandchildren. When not writing, Nancy can be found golfing, swimming, gardening or reading.
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