Beneath It All

eneath the differences of origin...
Beneath the influence of culture...
Beneath the dogma of religion...
Beneath the miscues of language...
Beneath the excess of affluence...
Beneath the misery of want...
Beneath the division of politics...
Beneath the toil of survival...
Beneath the hurt of separation...
Beneath the leverage of technology...
Beneath the sting of failure...
Beneath the pride of victory...
Beneath it all... we are all the same -

bove origin...
Above culture...
Above religion...
Above language...
Above affluence...
Above want...
Above politics...
Above survival...
Above separation...
Above technology...
Above failure...
Above victory...
Beneath it all... we are above it all.

In 2002 I joined a small writing class that met weekly for several months. This was my result, with which I was pleased, in one of the 15-minute exercises. The assignment was to, in 15 minutes, write something in the spirit of beneath it all. -jlw