Diversity Poem by Jim Yerman

Every moment nature's artistry is put out on display…
It's one of the reasons we love the morning walk we take each day

But there's an even better reason we amble through our streets
It's all the places that we walk by…and all the people whom we meet…

For instance, on our walk this morning…we passed by all of these:
An Iris pub, a Scottish coffee house and a restaurant- Japanese.

An Italian cafe, a donut shop, a Hawaiian restaurant we adore
and a church with a sign that welcomes everybody…everybody through its doors.

We walked today with a good friend who's stories always entertain
A beautiful soul who is quite proud of the Peruvian blood within her veins.

We waved to Harry-an old man we know who was in Germany grown.
His wife is no longer with him so now he walks alone.

For years we would pass him quietly…but conversed with him one day.
Now we often stop and talk with him…as he shuffles on his way.

After walking out onto the pier- about halfway through our walk
We met a vegan from Jamaica his hair flowing with dreadlocks.

And we spoke of dolphins and egrets and fishermen…and the beauty of the sea
of diets and Jamaica…and about our families.

The beauty of our walk is no matter which way we turn
From the different places and people we see…there's so much we can learn.

There is strength in all our differences for what a sad country this would be
without our various accents, and foods, and stories…without our diversity.

Our morning walk proved once again as another day unfurled
how every person is a new door to a multifarious world.

And instead of building a wall to keep people out…like they once did in Berlin…
Perhaps we should be opening that door to welcome that world in.