by Maya Basudde
When I think of community I think of my grandmother’s oak tree
Each individual branch reaching up to the sky so beautifully contributing to a greater thing without even noticing
Each branch
each leaf and component of the tree
on its own
does not amount to much
but put it all together and look at what we’ve got
Something strong
not only buff
but mentally tough
Today’s society is no stranger to community
but often makes it exclusive to one’s ethnicity
Acting like the bee’s and the ants
we have formed ourselves into colonies
Colonies that aim to tear the others down instead of build the others up
Colonies with this mindset rarely accomplish much
Is it worth it ?
Killing our brothers and sisters and robbing them of their purpose ?
I’ve had enough of people separating themselves from others like they’re worthless
The time has come
for people of different backgrounds to let go of what they think they know so that they can learn more
For us to start building together instead of apart and see what’s really in store
Today we celebrate diversity
And not only do our differences make us better but they make us stronger
I truly do believe that we can accomplish more together if we work a lot harder
Work a lot harder to
see our differences as reasons to love each other
see our flaws as reasons to build up each other
Because together we possess a certain type of power
Better than any leader of the world could achieve
The only type of power the world really needs
and that’s love
It’s crazy out of all creation on this earth we are the only ones who haven’t mastered the art of accepting one another
loving each other
We have to stop looking at each other as enemies and more as sisters and brothers
Respect the women of our community with the same respect we owe to our mothers
Respect the men of our community with the same respect we owe to our fathers
Protect the children of our community as if they were our own blood
Kill the disease called hate in our community with the antidote that is love
and begin to repair the damage that we have done
It’s not too late to make a change
It’s not too late to rearrange
the mindset we’ve been living in that causes us to separate
We can dig a little deeper like the ants do
into our souls and find that the message I’m saying is true
The reason we are blessed with our unique differences is not so that we can be separated
but so that we can be celebrated
Just imagine
a world
with one nation
About the writer
Spoken word artist Maya “ MayaSpoken” Basudde is a student at Algonquin College. She began writing at a very young age and competed in her first poetry slam at the City of Ottawa Youth Showcase in 2015 where she placed first. Since then, she has featured for Urban Legends and performed her poetry at events such as the 2015 Black History Month Show for the Senate and the 2015 Global Community Alliance’s Gala and Award Ceremony. Maya has always had a love for words and enjoys using them to create positive and inspiring messages for others.