A Mid-April Thought (April 15, 2019)

Before your eyes

Is this antithesis poem

To the current political message

Of hate.

One’s love hope

And compassion

Aren’t held hostage

In a sea of anger.

Today

Unlike yesterday

You shall be

Held accountable

For lives lost.

And I don’t mean

Capital punishment

For those

Criminally guilty.

Already

Too many deaths

And martyrs

As is.

Rather

Rebuilding bridges

For lives damaged

And families destroyed

By your rages.

One person

At a time.

Uniting a nation

As one

Under the rule

Of law.

And not

Some arbitrary whim

Based on pseudo science

Or ignorance.

But truth honour

And acceptance.

These differences

Aren’t a weakness

Meant to be exploited.

But

An internal strength

To be celebrated

And cherished.

As part

Of the human existence

In daily life.

Therisa © 2019

Fitting Justice (June 15, 2016)

Please

Don't mistaken

My passivity

For acceptance

Of the Massacre.

Inside

A maelstrom of anger

And tears.

Threaten

To broil over

On the outside.

I want to punish

Those

Who unleashed

Omar Mateen

As a loaded weapon

On Sunday morning.

For teaching him

To hate himself

And the LGBT+ community

My family.

Knowing

Many straight organizations

And individuals

Must be held

Accountable.

For their words

And actions.

As part

Of the healing process

For everyone.

Therisa © 2016

Author's note: In one,  of the free Toronto morning commuter papers, Omar Mateen, was described, as a troubled young man, struggling to accept his homosexuality, with his Islamic upbringing, by his parents. For their actions, his parents have a heavy burden that they owe, to the victims, their family and the LGBT+ community, at large. One doesn't, become a killer, without being trained, to do so.