This poem was inspired by the videos that have gone viral of Italians singing in solidarity with each other from their balconies while under COVID-19 quarantine, and by Alicia Keyes' song, "We Are Here." As one expert recently said of the pandemic: "Containment becomes realistic only when we realize that working together is the only way to protect ourselves and our loved ones."

I stand at the balcony singing:
We are here.
We are here for all of us.
That’s why we are here.

I close my eyes and imagine
a friend at the balcony
in the city of Milan.
Our souls are brought together
so we can love each other:
Brother.

I see my friends, Pam and Kevin
in the USA,
at their balconies.
Ignore what Trump says.
Sing we are here,
we are here for all of us.

My friends from Switzerland and Germany,
Basel and Frankfurt,
are singing.

Let's talk about our part;
my heart touching your heart.
Let's talk about living;
I’ve had enough of dying.
That’s not what we are all about.

In dark cells in Palestine and the USA,
sit isolated prisoners,
alone on death row,
wondering if they will be left to die.
But they still sing.

From Tehran to Canada, China to Africa,
We must apologize to Mother Nature
and to each other.
Politics, guns and power
have gotten in the way.
But right now it doesn’t make sense.
We have forgotten why we are here.