This Golden Boy, a stray, wandered in looking to stay
In late winter, find some food, kind words, acceptance,
A warm blanket to rest, tail swinging, paws kneading,
Reaching out for hugs, happy purrs, soft meows,
But can’t come in because of his unknown background.
Is he neutered or not, fleas infested, a bad temperament?
And so he sits freezing outside at the bottom basement window,
Watching me in my comfortable warm bed, stirring guilty
Conscience as to right or wrong of misconstrued mistrust.
And so, it is with people, too soon a dirty pane barrier
Separates prejudices and kind treatments of each other
Based on tribalism, ethnicity, sex, disability and age.
Fix this broken pain of ignorance, embrace equality of tolerance…
Open the door! Thank you for sharing such a golden diversity.
Annemarie Berukoff
