Why?

When my options are mine,

not just because of my choices

or my hard work, but also because

of the circumstances of my birth –

the nationality on my passport,

the religion of my ancestors,

and the color of my skin –  

and my options aren't yours

for the very same reasons,

how are we to live in this world?

Justice, when he is disentangled

from retribution and violence,

isn't so much about prying privilege

from one hand and placing it in another,

as he is about restoring

creation's balance of need;

about smoothing the universe's supply

of dignity, respect, and opportunity.

If we hope to move beyond

legislated and litigated varieties,

which must be continually replanted,

Justice's sister, Peace,

must be made to feel at home.

Her neighborhood is the place

where stories are shared,

where ears are tilted to understand

and not cocked to respond.

She unpacks Privilege's truth,

inviting us to not only see

our economy of distribution

in all its naked disparity,

but also to choose a life

grounded in a commitment

to be open to and opened by

the question "Why?";

to recognize that it not only

doesn't have to be this way,

we also aren't meant to stay this way.

Photo by Todd Jenkins

 © 2014 Todd Jenkins