The Promise

I discovered this morning
  after all these years,
  that everyone is really different
  from me

Whether rich or poor
  black or then white,
  it goes far beneath the surface
  to see

When I look in their eyes
  only questions stare back,
  as I try to keep my thoughts
  to myself

But along with those thoughts
  comes the promise I bear,
  and its hard to stay up
  on the shelf

(Villanova Pennsylvania: April, 2015)