I share this original poem included in Maria Shriver's, The Sunday Paper, under the heading Something to Share. It is indeed worth sharing. It was composed by the Los Angeles-based non-profit Get Lit, which uses poetry to increase literacy, empower youth, and inspire communities. If you like it, share it with your friends and family too.
We Rise
By Monique Mitchell
A butterfly brave enough
to open her wings
for the world to see
sets off hurricanes
on the opposite end of the globe.
Scientists call it chaos.
Maya cracked the code,
discovered why caged birds sing.
Dared to believe the song in her heart.
Taught us to rise.
When hatred seeks to tear us apart,
We rise.
One brilliant sun rises
on us all.
To my Syrian sister,
my heart knows no refugees-
only family.
She holds the door open
shouting, "You are welcome here!"
You are home.
How dare you play small
in a universe dependent
upon your breath?
Your inhale inspires earthquakes.
May this world tremble at the
thought of you.
May you always know
you matter.
May you create chaos
that reaches us all.
That like our sun,
teaches us to rise
despite our constant setting.
It is always time for a new day.
Rosa sat, King dreamed, Gloria spoke, Tupac rose, Lennon imagined, Malala survived.
We rise.
We rise.
We rise!
