John Harms
Fall 1998

Hate

It's not about
being in the wrong place
at the wrong time.

It's not about
going out to the bar
on any chosen night.

It's not about
going to college
in any particular place.

It's not about
the city or state
where you live.

It's not about
the laws
currently enforced.

It's not about
being poor or rich, white or black,
gay or straight.

It's about
trying to be yourself,
to be accepted by everybody.

It's about
being a victim of society
because you're not like the rest of them.

It's about
the insensitive comments
made by insensitive people.

It's about
what you can't control
that can destroy a life at any moment.

It's about
the people who don't care enough
to learn about the rest of the world around them.

It's about
the people in this world
who lash out at the different ones.

It's about
being harmed forever
by one bad minute, one bad hour, one bad night.

It's about
thinking to yourself, asking yourself
if you'll live for that next minute.

It's about
being helplessly silenced
and not knowing if you'll survive.

It's about
the violence in this world
created by those who think they're superior,
by the ones who accept only one answer and reject the different ones.

It's about
not being able to say goodbye
to the ones you love,
and to the ones who love you.

It's about
the hugs and kisses
that you could have got,
that you will never get again.

It's about
the ones who loved you
who couldn't say that last goodbye,
or give you that last moment of their love.