dearest orlando
Dearest Orlando,
We stand with you around the world,
Wrapped in rainbows,
With our horror and sadness running down our cheeks.
That this could happen at all beggars belief.
We watch from our televisions and papers and screens and phones,
Aching to be able to turn back that clock.
We love;
And we cry and love,
And we wish that we could love even harder.
And we are better than this.
Better than one man who could not bear
To see us visible in our veracity;
To see our honest passion in the streets that he felt were his alone.
We are better,
And we are human,
And we are more than just who we love.
Let us occupy those streets in protest;
Not with violence, but with kindness.
Offer a compliment to someone who needs a smile;
Help a child tie his shoelaces;
Leave a bag of groceries on the doorstep of someone who’s struggling.
Be visible.
Be true.
Be human.
And keep on being, even when nobody is watching.
It’s a long and quiet fight -
But it’s a battle worth fighting.
Dear, dear Orlando,
I am sorry for not writing sooner;
I never knew how much you needed a love letter.
© mjc 12 June 2016
