Breathing In and Out
A canopy of stars overlooks the earth
The highlands and lowlands
The oceans and deserts
The cities and forests
And everything in-between
Everything is knit together
In a tapestry like no other
With more common threads
Than we can ever imagine
But when we forget
We hurt and are hurt
We break and are broken
We steal and are stolen from
We lie and are lied to
We pay wrong with wrong
We feed on the fuel of fear
We forsake what is sacred
We are driven by division
Many think doom is our lot
But a lot can change the tide
Pivoting from hatred
And returning to love
A way to return
Is by remembering
A way to remember
Is by breathing
Breathing in and out
All at once
Bearing witness to our oneness
No longer piercing each other
In word and deed
But perceiving our shared humanity
Crossing boundaries
Restoring burned bridges
Prioritizing peace
When we remember
We heal and are healed
We build and are built
We give and receive
We speak and hear truth
We pay right with right
We live off of love
We revere the sacred
We pursue unity
Breathing in and out
All at once
Bearing witness to our oneness
Bethel Aklilu is from Toronto, Canada, and is a 2017–2018 Global Health Corps Fellow at DotHouse Health, a federally qualified health center, in Boston, MA. She is passionate about health equity, quality improvement and finding scenic views.
All GHC fellows, partners, and supporters are united in a common belief: health is a human right. Want to get involved? Check out these great opportunities to support the health equity movement and consider joining us as a fellow or partner when applications open later this year! And don’t forget to connect with us on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook.
