Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a new federal holliday.  Here is my new poem.

            Reaching Out

I reach out my hand.
We are different, you and I.
Color of skin, education level, family cohesiveness.
We are different, you and I.
I understand that I do not understand.
I have not lived in the world
Where you exist.
I have not felt your pain nor shared
Your joy.
We are different, you and I.

I reach out with my heart.
We are the same, you and I.
Beneath the layers of skin
We are the same.
We breathe, we walk, we run.
We smile. We laugh.
We cry when there is pain.
In loneliness or confusion
We reach out,
Seeking for consolation, affirmation,
Acceptance. 

I reach out with my mind, my heart,
Trying to comprehend
The place where you come from,
The path you wish to follow. 
Take my hand.
We will travel together.,