The Bridge Between Us

by Dave Joseph Jr

The Bridge Between Us  by Dave Joseph Jr

There is a bridge between us,
worn but waiting,
a narrow thread
woven from all the times
we chose love
over fear,
hope
over history’s heavy hand.

It is not made of stone,
but of stories.
Not built by governments,
but by grace.
It stands because someone,
somewhere,
refused to believe
the distance was too wide.

The bridge between us
holds the laughter of grandmothers
who sewed quilts from sorrow.
It holds the prayers of fathers
who planted seeds
they would never see bloom.
It holds the marching feet
of dreamers who walked
until their shoes wore through
and their hope only grew stronger.

We did not build this bridge
for comfort.
We built it for crossing.
For meeting.
For mending.

We are called
to walk it—
not with hesitation,
but with hands extended,
with hearts open wide enough
to carry the weight of wrongs,
and still move forward.

The bridge between us
is built by forgiveness
hammered into place with truth.
It is built by memory,
by the voices that rose
when silence seemed safer.
It is built by faith—
not a faith of easy answers,
but a faith that works,
that weeps,
that welds broken places
back together.

Here is the call:
Step onto the bridge.
Even if you are afraid.
Even if the past whispers otherwise.
Courage is not the absence of fear—
it is the refusal to let fear
be the architect of tomorrow.

Hold out your hand.
Not just to those who agree,
but especially to those who don’t.
Our unity is not uniformity—
it is the harmony of difference
made holy.

Build the bridge wider.
Invite more voices,
more dreams,
more hands to help.
The weight is lighter
when all of us lift.

The bridge between us
is the birthplace of a future
that does not yet exist—
but can,
if we dare.

So rise, beloved.
Rise with memory,
rise with mercy,
rise with stubborn hope
hammered into your bones.

The bridge is waiting.
The future is watching.
The work is ours to do.

Step forward.
Link arms.
Build.
Cross.
Rise. 


 From Dave Joseph Jr’s Substack Whispers and Wildfires, linked here: https://poetpastor.substack.com/p/the-bridge-between-us?utm_source=substack&publication_id=4578784&post_id=163245216&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=6jodb&triedRedirect=true