Differences Poem by Laurence Overmire

What is the difference between a black man and a white man?
Is there a difference between a Japanese and a Chinese?
A Bosnian and a Serb?
How about the difference between a Protestant and a Catholic?
A Muslim and a Jew?
Or a capitalist and a socialist?
What is the difference really?
A woman and a man, there must be a difference
Mustn’t there be?
Oh, what’s the difference what the difference is? !
The difference is
A beautiful thing.
Thank God for the difference.
Imagine a world without difference,
How would you feel about that?
Indifferent, of course.
So why don’t we all just stop our moaning and
Complaining and go out there and

Make a difference.
It’s a beautiful thing.


(Previously published by Stroll of Poets Society, July 2000)