sensorium

A brief poem about how our cultural experiences shape us and connect us as individuals.

--- as you sit and listen,

the hills and streams cry out.

similarity within difference,

in land, in essence.

the trees, the clouds are not the same,

but the stars and the sun remain,

static and unchanging.

the shape of a word,

familiar and soothing,

yet alienating all the same.

for what does it matter,

that you understand,

if you cannot form those same shapes,

with your own tongue?

the colours and smells of home,

found elsewhere as a reminder,

to you and those you’ve encountered,

from the same land as yourself,

displaced the same way,

that it is not around you, but within you.

that connection is not born of similarity,

but rather the understanding of difference.

that you will never truly be alone

for there is one thing,

something that collects some of us into groups,

but connects us all together in one way or another.

for it is born of human nature and creativity,

and it is born of community

it is culture