Differences

She doesn’t want them to laugh
so she keeps her secrets locked inside.
And they eat away at her soul.
Tearing it into shreds, torturing.
She convinces herself, this is best.
For it would be worse, if they knew.
She pretends everything is fine.
Hiding behind a mask if happiness.
Her views are different than most.
And for that she will be condemned.
All because she is a lesbian.

He hides in darken corners.
Eyes downcast, not daring to look up.

Friendless and alone he wanders.
He says it doesn’t matter.
He doesn’t care what they think.
Yet his heart knows these are lies.
Inside he is just like everyone else.
Outside though he is different.
And they condemn for selfish reasons.
Because he is of Arab-descent.

And still we wonder
why people can be so cruel.
We stood in shock and disbelief.
When the two great towers fell.
Remembering back to a December years ago.
We vowed to seek revenge.
As we honored those lost.
Through a haze of blinded fear.
The people punished many innocents.
Only because they were different
morally, ethically and spiritually.

She walks through the halls
her head held high.
But she bites her lower lip to keep it from trembling.
Her pendant hangs between her breasts.
Proclaiming her religion.
She blinks away tears.
As others turn their backs.
Sneering as their eyes turn away.
They condemn what they do not know.
Hate because she has a different religion.
He is slower than the rest.
His face a little misshapen.
They say he doesn’t understand.
The hateful words, they say to him.
Yet how can they tell?
He understands enough to know,
they use his handicap
for their entertainment.
Laughing at the way he talks.
Why do people condemn the different?
Only because he has Down syndrome.

And we wonder why
People can hate so much.
When others are tortured.
We stand back
Saying it’s not our fight.
When many innocents died.
For differences in their lives.
Now we swear we are honest and just.
That the lives we take
are only those who are dangerous.

What kind of world?
Are we raising our children in?