These Are The Lenses

Do we see the same things?

As if someone took off their glasses and said,

“ These, these are the lenses that we all shall use.”

Given the chance, they are not the ones that you would choose.

You try them on and they just don’t seem right,

but, “these, these are the lenses.”

So, you squint your eyes and ignore the blur- 

because “these are the lenses.”

You fight with your feelings because the reality is that 

we all see the world in different ways.

What if we could see the faces of our loved ones 

in the faces of every stranger that we meet?

Could we make amends and ditch the lens of turning a blind eye,

and, instead, make swift our feet.

Could we remove the lens of being so quick to make a point

that we miss someone else’s point of view?

If unity is the goal, let’s set our sights higher.

I’m convinced there’s more to be done 

in our time here under the sun

than to elevate our own desire to shine 

while our neighbor stands at the end of the line.

Can we see through eyes of grace, 

can compassion ignite the human race to find hope in every day,

Because these are the lenses.

AEJ 7/15/2016