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We all have a part in shifting the story
There is, in an overfull classroom,
a woman teaching not only history,
but compassion. There's a barista
making hearts in the foam
of every cappuccino she serves.
There's a man helping another man
on crutches as he struggles to cross
the icy street. There's a library room full of women
chanting about praying for their enemy.
There are students raising money
to help those with breast cancer and AIDS.
Two girls are laughing for the joy of laughing
'til their faces are tear-streaked
and their ribs and bellies are sore.
There's a poet who pours courage and music
into every word she shares with the world.
And another woman hears those words
and thinks, "Me. That poet is talking to me."
This is how we change the world one kind act,
one true work, one long laugh at a time. Because
now, that woman is ablaze with wondering:
What is my part in shifting the story?
~Joy Harjo, 23rd US Poet Laureate
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