4 poems ... by Anne Selden Annab

   Negotiations

Ancient Rome
& ancient Palestine
are history flexing
emotional and intellectual
but not civic muscle

Ancient Rome
& ancient Palestine
have no firm borders
no passports
no jobs
no future- no hope
no home, no security
for a beloved family

Avatars are free
to build a life like that
but the rest of us need more...

Oak leaves and acorns
and olive branches
Lions and lambs
mountains and valleys
driveways and doors
fair and just laws
citizenship...

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    Boundaries

A window is a border
between here and there

A boat is a border
between drowning and the sea

Flesh is a border
between intact and pouring into

nothingness.


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     Compromise

Is meeting the truth
with dignity and the courage
to see clearly
speak carefully
dreaming big enough
to be inclusive-
and compassionate...

Dreaming wide enough
to welcome all
Dreaming deep enough
to honor all
Dreaming high enough
to fly
past the bullet and bombs

to make peace
with the impossible
and move on
with grace.


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  Leadership

is up to you
word by word
forward by forward
fact checked
researched
pondered

Argument
by argument
considered
deliberately
each in turn

Sources weighed
Ramifications assessed

Diplomatic language shaped
to be in balance listening
to what is heard
and what needs to be said


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