The Glass Ceiling
Jamaal Brown

in a world we all live
of ourselves we all give
when met with sorrow we all cry
at the end of our lives we all die

but some only reach the glass ceiling

we can all fight the same war
bleed the same blood see the same gore
we all need water and food we all eat
and when the cold comes we all need heat

but some only reach the glass ceiling

the same air we all breathe
the same sun we all need
we all longed to be loved
sometimes kissed held and hugged

but some only reach the glass ceiling

on one side of the pane there is complete equality
but on the other side is the harsh reality
ideas like racism sexism and any other dichotomy
any potential conflict between the poor and aristocracy
him and her black and white fool and intellectual
north and south east and west hetero and homosexual
rural and urban catholic and protestant gentile and jew
capitalist and socialist perhaps even me and you 

we all are human we all have flaws
and this alone should be enough cause
to destroy the glass ceiling that is the boundary
of what some can achieve and others can only see
                

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© 2000 Howard University. t
(First Published in limited print edition by
The Composition for Honours Class, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University, Spring 2000.)
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