We believe it is possible for the people of Wisconsin to be unified even if we disagree on important issues. Being truly unified as people goes deeper than political opinions. We hope this poetic essay inspires that same belief in everyone who hears it.
Wisconsin Can Be United
Who are we
Beyond a you and a me
An us or a them an enemy a friend
Blue or red
This or that
We are more than white or black
We are more than either or at the core
We are families scraping dinner together from whatever’s in the house
Doing dishes, taking the garbage out
We are neighbors, taking notice, eye contact, a smile and a wave
a moment to connect, maybe catch up on the day
All the in betweens of our everyday stuff are the bright threads that weave this tapestry into a many-colored splendor
We are friends and mentors
We are members of one another
And the heart of our body politic beats to the rhythm of daily life, not to the controversies and double-talk. Those are just a rash.
And Politics often merely pokes at the skin, forgetting what is within. It provokes rather than hopes, sees di-vision before the high vision of our togetherness.
We are more than rich or poor, gated communities or ghettos,
We are neighborhood dwellers, do-gooders, storytellers
We are neighbors, duty-bound to love.
We are next-door to each other whether we know it or not.
We don’t have all the answers, but we’ve got the questions that press on the process of democracy.
And we the people are primed to define for ourselves what we want for the future of this land of milk and honey,
many generations and peoples, each carrying a promise, precious in the story that we tell and the story that is telling us:
We’re on the same boat, and we are shipwrecked on these shores of Lake Michigan.And we owe each other a terrible loyalty