"Inclusion" - Bahamas AI Art
©A. Derek Catalano
Inclusion
In every room where people meet,
Where voices cross and glances greet,
There’s space to notice who’s not heard,
Whose quiet fades without a word.
Inclusion starts with simple things:
A widened door, a chair that swings,
A hand held out before it’s asked,
A shared load when the road is masked.
It’s choosing not to turn away
When someone moves a different way,
Or speaks with pauses in their tone,
Or stands apart but not alone.
It’s making room at every start
For those who carry unseen parts,
The weight of worry, fear, or doubt,
The stories they don’t hand right out.
It’s understanding wrongs we’ve kept,
The jokes unmeant but deeply felt,
The names misread, the walls too tight,
The rules that hide in plain daylight.
Inclusion isn’t grand or loud.
It doesn’t need a cheering crowd.
It’s work done daily, quiet, small—
A pattern built to hold us all.
It’s asking, “What would help you here?”
And waiting past the first veneer.
It’s listening with a steady mind,
No rushing in to redefine.
It’s giving space so others grow,
Not cutting down what they outshow,
Not guarding seats as if they’re owed,
But moving over on the road.
It’s knowing difference isn’t threat.
It’s richness we haven’t met yet.
A language learned, a view made wide,
A new path walking at your side.
Inclusion lives in how we share:
A lunchroom seat, a thoughtful stare,
A shift in plans to meet a need,
A held-back urge to take the lead.
It thrives in places built with care:
A ramp, a quiet room, a chair
That fits a body shaped its way—
Design that lets more people stay.
It’s every chance to speak the truth
To kids who stand unsure in youth:
“Your voice belongs. Your heart is fine.
This world has room for you and mine.”
Inclusion bends the rigid lines
That cut across our daily signs.
It lets us stand with lighter breath,
Less guarded in our depth and breadth.
It’s not a finish we achieve.
It’s how we show we truly see
Each person walking in our view—
Not as the “them,” but as the “you.”
And in that shift, we start to find
A steadier, more open mind,
A wider table, kinder tone,
A way that no one walks alone.
So let inclusion be our guide.
Let small acts multiply in stride.
Let’s build a world where all can stand,
Held not by luck, but by our hand.
Where every heart, in full expression,
Finds welcome without cold discretion.
A world where difference has its place—
Not trimmed away, but met with grace.
And if we lose our path someday,
Let one clear truth still light the way:
Our strength grows larger when we choose
To lift the ones we once let lose.
Inclusion, then, becomes a thread
That stitches hope where fear once spread,
A fabric strong, because it’s made
Of every voice we’ve ever weighed.
So here we stand, a broader “we,”
Not perfect, but with room to be.
And every time we open wide,
We change the world from deep inside.
©A. Derek Catalano/ChatGPT
Related poem: We Are All Human
Related article: Crossing Cultural Barriers