Stand for another as you would for yourself

Stand for another as you would for yourself

There used to be this silent yearning

An ache impelling me to be more than who I am

There used to be this fierce yet whispering calling

Reminding me there’s more to life I need to uncover

 

This longing found me by surprise

The life sent my purpose in disguise

Embodied in the form of a project

The call of a journey I couldn’t neglect

 

I embarked an adventure that started as a question

Following the purpose, lead me to the land on the edge of Europe

Suddenly, I saw the meaning behind the silent yearnings

As the journey kept going, I realized there’s a world beyond me

 

I uncovered there’s a shimmer in a little town

Revealing the stories behind the names of the less fortunate

I uncovered how much society puts them down

Giving them just an extra milk  

Or chocolate forgotten on the dusty shelves

Still made their faces light up with a smile

 

There was painful sorrow behind their gratitude

Thankful as I am, the project let me see beyond  

The essence of the calling was altering my attitude

These weren’t just names on the bank food lists anymore

There were stories behind each person could feel solidarity with

 

An immigrant with a sick foot struggling to gain real work

An addict trying to recover yet being chased by his inner demons

An extraordinary kid living in the dirt wearing small shoes that irk

A silent old lady still holding on to the memories of all of those who left

 

The meaning hidden in the silent yearning was loud and clear

More than often we go through life not noticing the suffering around us

Rarely do we recognize our selves in a barefoot old man on the street

Or a broken mother whose hands are dry and hurt from working in a field

 

Not many times we stop and try to read a story behind the face

If we did, we’d see how similar all our struggles are

Embarking a journey that this project offered made me stop and care

I was reminded of how solidarity gives strength to the world

Because If we stand as strong for another as we do for ourselves

We light up a smile for more than just one