A sample from Alice Walker’s newest book of poetry Taking the Arrow Out of The Heart (October 2018). This is called “I Am Telling You, Discouraged One, We Will Win.”

I am telling you
Discouraged One
we will win.
And I will show you
why.
We are the offspring
of the ignorantly
discarded:
we conjure
sunrise
with our smiles
and provoke music
out of trash.
Who can completely
disappear
such genius?

This is why humanity
is worth loving.
Fiercely.
Passionately.
Without a moment
of holding back.
I used to think
it was only
Africans
I loved so dangerously
then I thought it was
Indians;
then Mexicans
Vietnamese
Guatemalans
Cambodians
Laotians
Nicaraguans
Cubans
Haitians
Salvadorans
all
those dear ones
so endlessly
lied about.
But no, it is all of us.
It is humanity.
We are special.
If you don’t believe me
take the time to awaken
and truly witness
yourself.