In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Agree to Disagree.”
No.
You don’t know how they feel.
Your vision of how they live is a hodgepodge
of stereotypes, ruffled feathers
and a shock of words you hear on the radio.
You watch the window with unblinking eyes
and tell me how your world works.
I get it.
Your life has not been easy.
Your kids have left you, your marriage is a sham,
and you are miserable.
Just like you like it.
But it is not their fault.
It is not the fault of those you will never meet,
Or the man who held the door open for you
Or the woman who cut you off
Or the child that sassed you.
It is not my fault, either
for defending them when they are left without an umbrella
to weather your rumbling storm.
I will not defend you when you are intolerant.
I will not let you silence me.
But I will watch how you temper your hate
When the next man holds the door open
When the next woman waves you on
When the next child smiles and reaches for you.
I will watch your monster fade into the ether
And I will love you all the same.
