YOUR Life Matters to ME: A Poem by Markus Koch

Feb 22, 2021

PFRPA

Photo: Associated Press

Markus Koch shared his reflections on civil rights in the poem below.

When I see you, and our eyes meet, I see myself reflected in your eyes. Your life matters to me.

We are different on the outside. We have had experiences unknown to each other; challenges forged by the communities from which we came and the otherness we are surrounded by. Yet still, your life matters to me. Though our skins are of different hues, though our individual realities may be starkly varied, always, your life matters to me.

I am an immigrant to this country and though I have paid dearly for the opportunity to live here, I know that I do not own, cannot own this land. I am willing to share it. Your life matters to me. I am here to help when you ask for my help, though I may not yet know how. Will you tell me?

When I see you, and our eyes meet, I see myself in the mirrors of your soul. We have the same needs, the same fears, the same courageous hearts. Though you are a stranger, I know you.

For information about civil rights organizations, visit https://bit.ly/2YdcnOL.