Wall of Tears, Wall of Hope

Wall of Tears,

You were built on force, on muscle, on power.

Wall of Tears,

You were built on selfishness, on ignorance, on prejudice.

Wall of Tears,

How high will the fear grow?

And so you stand…

Man-made of iron and steel,

Unbreakable, insurmountable

In the minds of the blind-hearted.

But the light of truth shines through,

Between the cracks of your prison bars.

Nothing can detain the human spirit.

Wall of Tears,

You see the souls

Who stare death in the face

With the rising and setting sun each day.

You hear the cries of the children

Standing at your gate,

Who, by the grace of God,

Survived kidnapping, rape, murder,

To stand in awe before your presence.

You witness the Mothers’ undying passion

To fill her babies’ hungry bellies,

To comfort their empty cries.

You greet the Fathers,

Exhausted from tossing night after night in distress,

Desperate to earn one cent more,

To protect their families from the hell that lurks beyond their door.

You welcome the teenagers’ indomitable spirit,

The young men and women,

Abandoned and orphaned,

Left behind to parent brothers and sisters,

“Don’t worry…Tomorrow, Dad will be back tomorrow,”

They encourage the little ones,

While listening to the truth echo in their heart,

He has been killed,

His life has been taken as payment for drugs, for debts unpaid.

Wall of Tears,

You look into the eyes of reality,

A reality known by thousands living in devastation,

A reality yet unknown to the fortunate.

Wall of Tears,

You know a desperate heart cannot be chained,

When death, violence, unending tragedy

Reflect in the brokenness of a smile,

There is nothing left to lose.

Wall of Tears,

You no longer bring tears of sadness.

You bring tears of joy, of relief,

Of knowing the Lord has carried them safely in His hands

Here…standing at the border of Hope.

The Wall is the last hurdle to endure…

It is the bridge to freedom.

To work, to education.

The Wall is the possibility of Life previously unknown.

The Wall is Hope.

All the suffering

The invisible, the forgotten, the persecuted souls

Have survived with the strength of their Heavenly Angels,

Has brought them to this very moment.

The ringing of the voices

Of our American ancestors cheering them on…

Onward to freedom.

As the passion of injustice

Flamed the embers of the hearts

Of our European brothers and sisters,

As Lady Liberty greeted their arrival,

And Hope lifted the spirit of the weary

So many years before,

The Wall of Hope welcomes the immigrants of today.

My American brothers and sisters,

Let the barriers crumble;

Let your eyes see beyond the fear;

Let your ears listen to learn their stories;

Let your mind understand the pain and despair;

Let your heart lead the way.

Not even iron and steel

Can break the human spirit

On its path to freedom,

In its pursuit of happiness.

The Wall is a vision of Hope.