I walked with my neighbor this morning
It wasn’t planned
We just began walking at the same time
She speaks very little English
I speak no Philipino
But we walked
Laughing at ourselves
Struggling to help the other understand
She said she is sixty-two
Patting her knees she grimaced
Arthritis
Pointing to the cloudy sky she stammered
The rain is coming
When we reached her house
She pointed to the weeds
In her beautiful flower bed
Patted the small of her back
And I understood well
The pain pulling weeds entails
Stopping at her driveway
We hugged and waved good-by
Wishing each other well
Our walk together helped me realize
That speaking a different language
Or wearing a different skin color
Doesn’t make us different at all
We are all people
Created in God’s image
Our hearts beating the same language
All over the world
~Sandi
