Judgement Day

We see a man on the street
     his clothes are tattered
     his hair is full of dirt
     his hand holds a brown bag
     and we say, there goes a bum

We see a woman in the welfare line
     her shoulders are slumped
     her children are forlorn
     her eyes won't meet ours
     and we say, she has too many children

We see a young black man on the corner
     his music beats loudly
     his leather jacket shines
     his jeans are ripped fashionably
     and we say he is dealing drugs

We judge others by our perception
     to hide our shame
     to hide our fear
     to show our superiority
     and we say we are righteous

When we have walked their path
     having felt their humility
     having felt their hopelessness
     having felt no God
     and we can say we are empathetic

For then is when we understand unconditional love is without judgement.