Her stripes were purple
Our stripes are green.
With a strange hat on her head,
Hair could not be seen.
“We can’t understand her.
She’s not from around here.
She does not look like us.
And her clothes are quite queer.”
“Maybe she’ll hurt us.”
Another did say.
“We don’t want her here.
She MUST leave today.”
With tears in her eyes
She gave a slight bow.
I wanted to help,
But I didn’t know how.
Then our own Mayor Jane
Stepped into the crowd
And said, “Stop all this trouble!”
In a voice really loud.
She looked at us all
And then into each face
And said, “Not everyone here
Is from the same place.”
She said, “It’s easy to say
How I think you should be.
It’s easy to say
You should be just like me.”
“We all like sweet people
But what really is tough
Is loving them also
When they’re acting up”.
“If we only liked dogs
And cowboy hats,
Who’d wear the caps
And who’d love the cats?”
“You think how you think.
You do what you do.
What if nobody here
Had ever liked you?”
“We mustn’t be rude
Or ready to fight.
Try being respectful.
Try being polite.”
“We don’t all agree
Berry cake is the best.
With all the cakes in the world,
Who’d eat the rest?”
“If you only liked green
As much as I do,
Who’d buy the red ties
Or ones that are blue?”
“Include this stranger.
It’s in our best interest.
See how we’re the same,
Not how we are different.”
“If we only liked baseball,
Who’d play other sports?
If we only like long pants,
Who’d wear all the shorts?”
”You can always find people
With whom you agree
Or who think they know best
Of how others should be.”
“If we were all doctors,
Who’d be a teacher?
Who’d take care of kids?
Who’d be a preacher?”
“Love one another.
That’s easy to say,
But hard to remember
When I don’t get my way.”
”We all make mistakes.
We all fight and bawl.
It’s what we do after
That matters most of all.”
“We all have the same feelings.
Inside, we’re the same.
To not treasure our difference,
That would be a shame.”
“Trust without reason
Is a brave thing to do.
That’s exactly how we
Make friends that are new.
and more…