deep breaths

In Miami, Florida, recent immigrants from Haiti
are looked down upon
by the immigrants from Guatemala,
because they are so much more impoverished,
and even newer than they are.
Let us take a deep breath for the Haitians.

The Guatemalan immigrants are looked down upon
by the Latinos, Latinas and Hispanics
whose families have been here for at least one generation.
Let us take a deep breath for the Guatemalans.

Some white people look down on all of them,
because their skin is brown and they speak a language other than English.
Let us take a breath for all Hispanic peoples.

Other whites look down on those whites
for expressing their prejudice and bigotry so blatantly.
Still other people
judge those whites
for not working harder to overcome their subtle forms of racism…
Let us take a deep breath for all people,
whatever their skin color,
whatever their level of prejudice,
whatever their level of self awareness.

And let us draw another breath,
for all of our human cousins
who struggle with religious differences,
or gender or sexuality or class differences,
or any of the other ways we separate and judge each other.

Let us take a deep breath for ourselves.