While walking in my dreams one night I met 8 women…

I met a woman living under a bridge, poor and homeless, who told me…
I am you without opportunities.

I met a woman huddled alone and sobbing who told me…
I am you without love.

I met a woman aloof and friendless in her fancy house who told me…
I am you without compassion.

I met a woman in a corner office, looking down her nose, who told me…
I am you without understanding.

I met a woman in a picket line, screaming and cussing, who told me…
I am you without tolerance.

I met a woman in a shelter, battered and beaten, who told me…
I am you without self-respect.

I met a woman hiding in an alley’s corner, scared and confused, who told me…
I am you without faith.

I met a woman on the subway, bitter and angry, who told me…
I am you without hope.

As I continued walking, feeling unsettled and shaken, I came to a large mirror…
In it I could see myself and shadows of the women I had met during my dream journey.

As I began to awaken, I heard one last admonition…
We are you, and you are who we could be. We are one. Heal us. We are the world.

~Dee Braun (copyright 2009)