Yarn and plastic beads

By Mary Anne O'Connor
October 2004

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Your world is one
Made up of jewellery of yarn and plastic beads
Mine, the one of carat gold and seawater pearls

Your world is one
Where you struggle for daily bread
Mine, the one where crumbs are thrown to the dogs

Your world is one
Of charity bazaar and begged clothing
Mine, the one of Gap and Calvin Klein

We live on the same Earth
but not in the same world
How to bridge the two
How to balance this inequality, this injustice
Courage on your part to challenge me and us
Of the gold and pearls world
Courage on my part to admit the wrong
And let go of the excess comfort, position and power
Courage to align us both more fairly
With food enough for all

Mary Anne O'Connor got the inspiration for this poem while travelling on a city bus in Mexico and watching a woman and her child trying to sell items on the street. As a Scarboro lay missioner from 1990 to 1998, Mary Anne served in the Philippines, Brazil and in Canada. Now in Mexico, she writes, "I am working in a school teaching curriculum in English to Grade One students. I also volunteer at a house for young girls, two to 13 years of age, whose parents are imprisoned. The house is run by the local diocese and I go there together with two other teacher friends to teach English as well as just to have fun, dancing and singing in Spanish and English."

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