I.

In the riptide     of     this moment may I act out of   goodwill, may I rediscover the goodness   of others     made obfuscate by timelines     and party lines     and tighten the loosened thread that ties us all   together.

II.

The gift is knowing what ails you

the privilege is holding     that truth without turning   away–

what I fear most is not that you will hurt me because in many ways you already have but that I may never understand   why

III.

    What I fear most is not that   my side is losing but that we       are lost.

IV.

May I summon   the courage to speak     not out of   hate   or righteousness not out of the pain   I’ve held for so long both for myself   and for others,

but with the soft palpitations of a heart     in search of redemption,   with the hushed voice of a nation     dying for reconciliation.

V.

May our differences sharpen our similarities.

May I be bold enough to witness your suffering

and subsequently illuminate the shape of my own.

May we surf the edges with evermore grace so that we can rise above the inevitable tide,

swim ashore and dance to the drumming of a fragile anthem

celebrating the birth of a nation.