THE PEOPLE

THE PEOPLE

The people, you know the ones.

The ones that laugh at us behind our backs, sometimes to our faces.

They ridicule us, point their fingers and whisper as we walk away.

The people who don't understand, and are unwilling to listen, unwilling to try.

The ones who think we must be some kind of freaks.

The people who don't realize it is not a choice, but rather, a fact of life.

The ones who judge, who curse, who steer their children in the opposite direction for fear we might give them unhealthy ideas.

The people who never take the time to ask us about US, and even worse, never take the time to listen to us when they do.

If they did, they might find out, we're people just like them.

Maybe that is what they're afraid of. That they will realize that we are human too.

Then they would have to admit to themselves that there really is nothing 'wrong' with us.

You know the people I'm talking about.

Whether we are Black, White, Brown, or Red, Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, or Straight, Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Christian, or Atheist, Rich, Poor, or Homeless. You might be in one of these catagories, or labeled, while someone else in another. It matters not.

We've all encountered them. We meet them on the streets, see them in our work places, deal with them on a daily basis. You've heard their words, seen their sneers.

Think about these people. Think about the pain their words bring. The burning in our hearts we feel when we are called derogatory names.

Then, when you go home, look at yourself in the mirror. Because, at some point in your life, you too have been one of these 'People'.

We all have, admit it.