May 7th

“'When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.'" Leviticus 19:33-34

holes in their shoes or
soaked from leaky boats,
with stories tucked in their souls
like faded love letters,
strangers stand at our borders
while the God of dusty roads
and rooms borrowed from friends
reminds us that
once we were the folks
carried by grace through that
wilderness we would not choose.
even now, as we
put up barriers of fear,
dismiss compassion as weakness,
pretend we do not see
our ancestors’ faces staring
back at us across borders,
your voice echoes from that
dusty book we misuse too often
to remind us to love.
not tolerate, nor legislate,
and certainly, not fear—
but share bread at midnight,
offer shelter from the storm,
open the door to every person
who knocks in hope, for
they may just be bearers
of those pieces of our souls
we left behind
on our journey to privilege.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman