We Are Of A Tribe : Alberto Ríos

During my recent travel to Europe; moving around in cities like Vienna, Rome, Cinque Terre, Bellagio, Varenna, Luxembourg, Paris…I did not know the local language, except few greeting words, it was so effortless and easy to commute through local means of transport, cabs, buses, trams, metro, trains or flights, ordering food in local cafes (being vegetarian) simply for the reason that I could speak to strangers through some gestures and my eyes and very few words, indeed. They all reciprocated with a smile and kindness. Their friendly and welcoming attitude made this trip really memorable. This poem is for those strangers, I will always remember fondly.

We plant seeds in the ground
And dreams in the sky,

Hoping that, someday, the roots of one
Will meet the up stretched limbs of the other.

It has not happened yet. Still,
Together, we nod unafraid of strangers.

Inside us, we know something about each other:
We are all members of the secret tribe of eyes

Looking upward,
Even as we stand on uncertain ground.

Up there, the dream is indifferent to time,
Impervious to borders, to fences, to reservations.

This sky is our greater home.
It is the place and the feeling we have in common.

This place requires no passport.
The sky will not be fenced.

Traveler, look up. Stay awhile.
Know that you always have a home here.

~ Alberto Ríos
 ( from  'Healing the Divide' Poems of Kindness & Connection,  
    Edited by James Crews )