2. A NEW STORY

Tonight I want to share with you
a new story
story of a child
who never felt at home in his
own home
story of a boy
who was a stranger in his own
homeland
story of a man
who was a step-child of his own
mother land
so one day
like thousands of other men and
women
from oppressed homes and
homelands
at the prime of his life
in the middle of the night
he left his home
with his books and clothes
and traveled
through mountains and valleys
oceans and highways
to all four corners of earth
to find
a new homeland
where he could create
without worrying to be
persecuted
to discover
a new motherland
where he could speak his mind
without worrying to be hanged
where he could love
without worrying to be stoned to
death
to embrace
a new world
where people cherish their
differences
and celebrate their similarities
where
he could feel peace with himself

and harmony with others.