“Common Ground”
By Ashley O’Hare
We are all created
by a mother and a father,
but we are raised
by countless others.
The fictional figures gracing our screens
are written by our mentors, unseen.
Authors take ink and paper
and transform it into lessons, entertainment, and peace-
evaporating stress and loneliness like water vapor.
Celebrity actors, directors, and athletes
inspire the public
purely because they are like you and me.
We are shaped by our environments:
What we are exposed to
slips into our DNA
and promises we will not enter
the next stage
of our lives
alone
and unchanged.
ashleyohare 