It’s so easy to hate. To see
difference of thought, of color, of lifestyle.
Hate, finds a way to put an end to comprehension, to thought provoking
questions of why hate was welcomed.
Welcomed to the room and part of the discussion. Hate knows how to bend thoughts in half. Leaving only particles of knowing, left for seeing. Hate. Your neighbor, your uncle, your lawmakers. Give your energy to this emotion, while not doing what it takes to learn, to grow, to participate.
Hate overshadows love. No air left
to liberate your views. No space present,
to feel compassion for another.
If I had to choose one emotion unworthy, I’d choose hate, but I know every emotion holds benefit, if we let them teach us, beyond face value. Hate is all it takes
to convince you, or me, to pick up a weapon and
fight, against those we hate. Perhaps hate is synonymous with enemy, with not knowing, with fear and uncertainty. Because we can all be painted into a shadow, be wrapped into the perfect meaning of why I am against you, why you hate me. Hate is a silent general commanding civil citizens to act unworthy
of their humanity. To take, to hurt, and to deny
others’ well being because of their looks, their wealth, their political stance. Not a day goes by without narratives to keep us feeling separate from each other.
Hate robs us, from seeing beyond our perspective,
it kills our curiosity of widening our circle, allowing
the ‘enemy’ in. Hate sits at my doorstep, pleading
to let it into my home. Hate has become a tragedy, leading minds in a trajectory of fearing each other,
name calling and treating life with much less than
respect and kindness. Hate can be an ally, to dissolve itself. Hate needs to be dismantled. It whispers to ears that listen. Take me apart. Deconstruct me, disassemble my grip on you. Go beyond hate and meet your humanity.
Zaynab Mohammed is a Performing Poet, Musician, and Activist living in BC Canada. Her work focuses on youth empowerment and activism through art. With Lebanese, Iraqi and Palestinian roots, she allows the pain to mesh with what is possible in the realms of healing, of creating new ways forward, so that the past is understood and not repeated.
Makram Daou is a Lebanese Visual Communicator and Expression Advocate living in Germany. His art focuses on the connections between the various dimensions of life, how our humanity stems from embracing our vulnerabilities and how we each carry the keys to open our closed doors.