Wrecked

They are our enemy, they tell us.

They are too different from us, they say.

They are backward, they tell us.

Their faith is evil, they say.

They have no worth as humans, they tell us.

They don’t value their women or girls, they say.

They are all terrorists, they tell us.

They all hate us, they say.

And we swallow it down

Again, again, again

And we never investigate
At all, at all, at all
And we never speak up for
Anyone, anyone, anyone
And we don’t question
Ever, ever, ever

The propaganda.

The lies.

The arrogance.

The ignorance.

The blame.

The blindness.

The brokenness.

The hatred.

And then we spew it back out

Violently, violently, violently.

And we tell them

Daily, daily, daily.

With our words

Ugly, ugly, ugly

That they are our enemy

That they are too different from us

That their ways are backward

That their faith is evil.

And we rage

Blindly, blindly, blindly

With our actions

Mistakenly, mistakenly, mistakenly

With our inaction
Silently, silently, silently

That they have no value as humans

That their women and girls are worthless

That they are all terrorists

That we hate them.

And the machine keeps spewing . . .

And the bombs keep falling . . .

And the guns keep firing . . .

And the buildings keep crumbling . . .

And the bodies keep breaking . . .

And the children keep dying . . .

And we keep dying . . .

God forgive us!
Forgive me!
Break us.
Break me!
Change us.
Change me!
Use us.
Use me!
For them
ALL. OF. THEM.

[Poured out as a response to a heart-breaking post by the Syria Campaign about a man, Mohammad Abo Saleh, who lost his wife, Malak, in the bombings in Ghouta, Syria. It broke my heart again. https://www.facebook.com/TheSyriaCampaign/posts/1667180813373925.]