A Softer Fight

Combating Hatred

They taught us early how to divide,

Draw lines in sand, pick pain as a side

To sharpen words like stones in our hands,

And build up walls we don’t understand

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We learned to echo what anger said,

To fear what’s different, to wish it dead

To look at strangers and turn away,

As if their worth is ours to say

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But hatred’s loud - it loves a crowd,

It beats its chest, it shouts so loud

Yet deep beneath its roaring sound,

Is fear too small to stand its ground

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Strength isn’t found in striking back,

But stepping out of the beaten track

Not striking sparks from borrowed flame,

But ending patterns that have stayed the same

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What if we paused before we react,

Unlearned the lies disguised as fact?

What if compassion took the lead,

And love ran deeper than our greed

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I’ve seen the damage hatred makes,

The lives it bends, the hearts it breaks

But I’ve seen something stronger still,

A quiet, steady, stubborn will

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The kind that chooses not to hate,

Even when it feels much too late

The kind that sees beyond the pain,

And dares to hope, and tries again

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So let them shout, let anger rise,

It feeds on fear; it thrives on lies

But we don’t have to play that part,

We can fight it softly - heart to heart

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Because the bravest thing we’ll ever do

Is love the ones we’re told not to

And in that choice, we slowly start

To tear pure hatred all apart

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If you enjoyed this poem, please check out more work from myself, and others, at www.chaoticrambling.com

I would love for you to check out my recently published book, “Between Then and Now”, a collection of 60 poems written between the ages of 15 and 39, it’s currently being sold at Amazon. It’s also available on kindle unlimited.

Stay tuned for my book “Between Now and Hope.” It will be released sometime during the month of April. It’s a collection of poems that focus on making this world a better place.

Thank you for taking the time to read my words.

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