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Imaginary lines

What are those, Ma,

Those lines across the land?

Detail of mixed media painting by Rochana Dubey

Who made them

And were they drawn by hand?

Can they be erased, then

If I rubbed them with my feet

And will you lose me

If I stepped over, just to breathe?

To explore the world, to see?

But they’re all over, Ma

Over land and water

Mountains and hills

Cutting across deserts,

Dividing seas.

Can nature be divided so?

Those lines even in minds I see

In this land of the brave

And home of the free...

What are they afraid of, me?

Is this what they will leave behind?

Lines, imaginary lines.

What are those for, anyway?

What do they do

Who do they protect

Us or them

Or someone else...

Do they protect,

Preserve

And provide

For the ones that need

What humans need

Food, water, shelter...

Shelter?

Shelter.

From the storms in the skies

And in hearts and evil eyes,

Greed and lust.

But don’t they know?

To dust shall dust

Return.

Burn

Those imaginary lines.

Let’s obfuscate those lines, Ma,

That divide,

So no one could find them.

Or themselves.

What fun it will be!

A confusion of eyes, skin, hair

All kinds, colors,

From god knows where.

What do we have?

Two eyes, one nose

Ten each of fingers and toes

Ears and mouth,

Of varied design

A tongue that sounds,

Just not like mine.

Aren’t they like us

Don’t they breathe, smell,

Love, like us?

Don’t they have veins filled with blood?

You say 'hate'?

No! Wait!

Slice and see

Them and me...

Red!

With pounding hearts

In the same place as ours.

Filled with love and passion

Can’t we show some compassion?

Does it matter where we’re from,

Where we’ve been...

Only who we become,

Our hopes and dreams.

Every day we breathe in unison

Ashes will be ashes

And to dust shall dust return

Each one

Sparing none.

We become One.

So why do we create, Ma,

Those Imaginary Lines.

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