Each day I see the legacy of hatred
Written across my screen,
Displayed in videos.
It enters my car in voices on the radio.
Fists raised in anger.
Dueling pundits on cable TV.
The latest shooting.
Marching crowds and candlelit vigils.
Mothers weeping over children, slain.
I confess ...
This legacy of hatred lives in me.
It flares out in traffic jams
And simmers inside my clenched jaws.
It plays out in my heart and mind
In unspoken judgments and harsh criticisms.
...
Wise ones,
How did you learn to love?
How did you learn to let go of
Wrongs done,
Raging resentments?
Holy One, you said that I should love my enemies
And pray for those who persecute me.
Have mercy on me, Gentle One,
For I don't know how to love.
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