Common Denominator
Salaam.
You write ghazals under shade of an acacia,
speak Farsi or Pashto,
eat qurmas, sabzi, lamb kebabs,
wear burqas and hijabs.
I write free verse under shade of a maple,
speak English,
eat pizza, cod, corn on the cob,
wear jeans and t-shirts.
Your men greet each other with kisses.
Our women do.
We both read Rumi,
eat yogurt and rice.
We both love our children.
Let us then
strap on our sandals
pick up our walking sticks
and journey together through
this terrible beautiful world
that we entered
and will leave
in the shared shade
of the great unknown.
Nancy Walker Greenaway is a poet living on a small island off the coast of New England.