Lived Experience

I know what it’s like
to grow up a straight white male
in an intact home

but I do not know
the lived experience of
women, Blacks, gay men,

abuse survivors,
refugees, homeless addicts,
pregnant teens, paupers

so, I should not make
decisions about how best
to solve their problems

but, they are humans
who feel feelings, as I do
therein lies a clue

About the Poem

This is a haiku quintet (five stanzas, each in 5-7-5 syllable structure)
It pertains to President Biden’s consideration of a Black woman for the Supreme Court

About the Author

Dan Dana is a retired mediator, psychologist, and educator who writes haiku quintets at his perch on Sarasota Bay, Florida. He is the author of two books on mediation, one on secular humanism, and five volumes of haiku quintets.