Don’t speak, just smile!

For, that’s the language of the heart,

That’s what keeps us all together

Not tears us miles apart.

The heart it is that understands

That Man’s the same wherever you go,

The lingo we speak or the colour of the skin

Is of no consequence, you know.

The insular, racist mentality

That we witness around the world,

The calls for division on colour and creed

The insults at others, hurled,

The narrowing of both vision and mind

The false tunnels that we create,

Will, not far from now, leave us

Without company, without a mate.

Boundaries that we spell out

On land and the seas,

Will destroy mankind in one fell swoop

Gone, gone with the breeze.

‘Tis still not late, O fellow men

To pull back from the brink

Or else, the abyss stares us in the face

It’s time we coolly think

Of what we need to do

To live in harmony,

To friends be with those different from us

And, restore peace and amity.

(The author is a prolific poet who has over 30 poetry books to his credit. He can be reached at ashoksawhny06@gmail.com/ www.ashoksawhny.com)