Melting Pot – a poem by Leela Soma
Baltimore, Ferguson and other police brutality makes the headlines, but in Buffalo, NY they see it differently.
Melting Pot
The colours of the mosaic glimmer in the sun
Blue pieces against the bright reds and oranges,
A tiled beauty that catches the eye, to look again
The platter enhances the tasty food on offer
A table laden with ethnic bites, a tempting fare.
Smiles from the crowd, a melting pot of races
Or is it still a salad bowl, together and apart?
The German, Irish, Polish, Italian and English
Mix with alacrity with African American, Arab
Indian, Chinese, a veritable United Nations.
Ancestry, history, fused together with work and toil
New beginnings for the incoming young and old
Forming a new city, forging interests, diversity at its best,
While retaining their roots, culture, language and heritage
A commingling, heading towards a harmonious future.
May, 2015.
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