I'm scared for the girl
Sitting across from me in a hijab
Looking at her phone
Fear in her eyes, panic in her mind
We live in uncertain times

In reality
Any leader is only as powerful
As the volume of supporters
The people who feed into the violence
And the hate that is spat in their general direction
From all directions, from many people
They can choose to absorb it
Or ignore it completely
And keep living their lives in love
Reach out their hand to a stranger
Someone who may be in trouble
Someone belittled for believing
In something different from the normal
Diversity is what makes us remarkable

The saddest part
Is that I am concerned as to whether
The beautiful people I see
Are scared by me frequently looking over at them
Just a white, privileged, middle class girl
Trying to depict them in a poem
Articulating how I pledge to be there
To demonstrate that not everyone
Is scared of what they don't know
What is different from their own