We're Not So Different
On the small, brave act of being honest with a stranger — and the recognition that comes back.
Most of the time we treat strangers like terrain to navigate around. Sometimes, though, you find yourself telling one of them something true — and they say something true back — and the whole map redraws.
This poem is for that.
You can learn from anyone
Even strangers
Sometimes we open up to someone
And forget about the danger
Of being honest, of being real
Of being sincere about what we fear
We become endeared for the courage
Of letting it all out
To tell our stories, and what they’ve been about
We as humans yearn to connect
Because deep down
We’re not so different, I suspect
The danger of being honest is real — it’s the whole reason we hide. But the cost of always hiding is steeper. You end up surrounded by people who only know your shape, not your weight.
The way out, sometimes, is a stranger. Someone who has no stake in the version of you they already know. Tell them the true thing. Listen to theirs. Most of the time, you’ll find the gap was smaller than you’d been carrying it.
— JTC