The following is a poem I wrote about diversity my senior year of high school.  Saint Rose was offering a diversity scholarship that required an essay or a poem to apply.  It paid off, since I ended up getting an extra $1,000 per year for writing it.

Reclaiming Integrity

 Each individual is unique,

Marching to a different drum.

Our views, religions, and traditions,

Define who we’ve become.

Though cruelty to each other

Is something that’s obscene,

With all of our cultural disparities,

Intolerance is routine.

The world surrounding us is cold;

We gossip, judge, and discriminate.

Our dream of perfection is shattered

By constant war and endless hate.

If we accept people for what’s inside,

Without a doubt, we will discover

The love we have within ourselves,

Ready to be shared with one another.

Not a soul on earth is perfect,

We still have much to learn.

Our behavior must be transformed,

Before we crash and burn.

Each individual is unique,

Intriguing and diverse.

Acceptance will be our redemption,

Before hostility makes us worse.