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Listen

Listen!

By Kelley PacePublished 7 years ago 2 min read
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You must think like me

If not, I must hate you.

You must look like me

If not, I must hate you.

You must believe as I believe,

If not, you must be evil.

You must hold my moral values as your standard of living no matter the hypocrisy it might bring.

If not, I must view you as less than human.

This is the mantra, I must follow.

No. Wait. Stop.

I look at you. I live with you. I see you.

Our thoughts are different but our goals are the same.

To live and love in peace.

Your skin is darker, paler, different from mine.

Yet, you are still part of me.

We have hearts that beat.

We make love, we sing love, we burst with love.

We know fear.

We know hatred.

We are all part of the same cycle and yet we hurry to expedite the other into a grave that is as cold and dark as the world wants us to be.

We are graves in the midnight, we are empty soulless beings no longer able to stand for what we believe.

In a world full of graves, be a grave robber.

Fear has grasped our hearts and made us bleed ignorance.

In a world of hate, bleed trust.

Can we be brave together?

Can I reach for your hand with the confidence it requires to trust that you will grasp mine?

Can we put our faith in each other instead of silent empty hallways where Gods once tread?

Can we send our heartfelt whispers into each other’s ears instead of sending them to an empty sky that only responds with tears?

Even the earth cries at our ignorance.

I would rather take a leap of faith and give you a chance to prove the peace inside of you than to label you:

A liar.

A thief.

A murderer.

Someone to fear.

You are more than your religion.

As am I.

Just as any mother is more than just a mother.

Any wife is more than just her husband’s partner.

You are more than a parishioner in a church.

You are more than a Christian, Catholic, Mormon, Pagan, Jew, Atheist, Satanist, or any other religion you have vested your heart too.

You are more than an ideal.

You are more than Gay, Lesbian or Straight.

You are more than what a label says.

Labels are poison.

A poison with an apothecary on every corner.

An easy go-to guide that tells us whether we should hate or love.

Your label says this.

It is different from mine.

I must hate you.

No. Wait. Stop.

Words can change a cold and bitter heart into warmth and light again.

Words can bring tears down your cheeks and release forgotten laughter from your lungs.

Words are powerful weapons used to wound or heal.

Words are nothing.

Words have no power.

It's only when we wrench our ears from those screaming into them and listen for ourselves to the songs around us that we find the truth.

We must seek a quiet place to listen.

We may begin to understand.

I am. I am. I am.

You are. You are. You are.

We. Can.

We. Are.

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