"We are in this together,"
read the placard.
And we were:
black, white, Korean, Hispanic,
Baptist, Methodist, Christian, Muslim,
students and the aged (with canes),
dreadlocks and crewcuts,
Up with People and down with the system,
male, female, gay, straight–
an unlikely mix of one,
just as God dreamed us.

And if we are in this together,
our one chance to make it through
is to stop being afraid of each other
and rally around what really matters,
not power, control, wealth, superiority,
but food for the hungry,
shelter for the homeless,
comfort for the lonely,
healing for the sick.

Wait a minute–
wasn't that the message of Jesus?

Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.