To: Yevgeny Yevtushenko

All of the people of the world reside within me

all of their hate...

gnaws apart my insides

And fills my soul with thousands of bullet holes

still smoldering from the heat of this conflict.

I am the one dropping the bombs

I am the target

I am the innocent caught in the crossfire.

I hide my face in shame for the crimes I have committed

I hide my face to remain alive

I hide my face in the agony of loss.

All of the people of the world reside within me

all of their love...

that has the power to patch every void

with the immense energy of 6 billion hearts

beating as one.

I am the stare of brown eyes

I am the one stopped in my tracks

contemplating their love.

I am the one speaking the eloquent words of affection

I am the one holding back tears of joy.

I am 6 billion hearts in love.

I am not one human, I am not human

I have no race...

I have no religion...

I have no language...

I have no gender...

I have no money...

I am unbound, unshackled.

I am equal.

I am truly free.

I am all.

I am everyone

I am every man, woman, and child

on the face of the earth.

I am something other than one

and every seam of me wants to

break and tear apart and

let everyone out.

We all want to breathe.

We all want the sun to shine on us.

We all want to destroy the hate that makes us weak

We all want to bask in the glory of love

and feel one simple kiss

fall upon our cheek.