One Of Us (September 25, 2019)

Wednesday

September 11, 2019

"War On Terror"

Became an adult.

Eighteenth anniversary

Religious fanatics attacked

The United States.

Refuse

To tar and feather

All Molsems

For extremists' actions.

Hatred gives fanatics

Undeserving victory

Over everyone.

Unanswered question

Fill my mind.

Wondering

How "War On Terror"

Would react

If born human.

Are they filled

By anger/hate

Fueled xenophobia?

Lashing out

With blind rage 

Like President Trump?

Or

Transforming negative energy

Into community healing

Through shared strengths.

Understanding - focal point

For personal growth

And dialogue.

Reducing

If not eliminating 

Sectarian barriers.

Else

Fueled by

Destructive nihilism

Bordering on suicidal.

Self-pleasure

Hedonistic drug

Masking soul's pain.

Societal pariah

Abandoned and isolated

Feared by everyone.

Sadly

War On Terror

Isn't a person.

But

Flawed policy enacted

At a time of fear

And xenophobia.

However

Well meaning

Policy framers

Meant to be.

Whose repercussions

Still being felt

By innocent victims

Today.

Whether

It's the no fly list

Or society's lingering fears

On various religions.

Therisa © 2019

Author’s note: I started writing this poem, on September 11, 2019, as a way to express my feelings about the tragedy that occurred on this date. The deeper that I got, I realized, the entire “war on terror” was misplaced anger and ignorance towards the Molsem community, as a whole, which President Trump has made worse.