HOMECOMING

Far from home

We students wrote

To our families.

The others sent word:

Mother, there’s a foreigner

I’ve met…

And the answer came:

Sorry, not at this time.

When I wrote about

My foreign friend,

My answer was

“Of course, bring your friend.”

The others wrote again:

Father, my friend

Is of a different race…

In answer their fathers wrote:

Not here, my child,

Not now.

But when I wrote the same,

I was told, “Your friend is welcome

In our home.’

When the others wrote:

My friend is crippled, Dad…

Sorry, we can’t deal

With that here

My dad replied,

“We’ll manage somehow.

Tell us what is needed.”

The others wrote once more

My friend, Mother, does not

Share our beliefs, but…

Their mothers responded,

My son, what would we say

To one another? Sorry, no.

My family wrote:

“Perhaps your friend is wiser than we.

The door is open, a room prepared.

Bring your friend and hurry home.

We are waiting. Love from all of us.”