A free verse poem about how humans seem to hate so readily.

Throughout history humans
have found it rather easy
to hate other humans.
Hatred excuses making war against,
killing, conquering, torturing,
and enslaving other humans.
It’s amazing how the mind
can justify grounds for hatred
deep enough to allow any atrocity.

One human may hate another human
simply and instantly because:

He is a different race,
with the wrong skin color,
hair texture, or eye shape,
speaks another language, or
has strange cultural habits –
any of which makes him
inferior and unworthy of respect.

He has the wrong religion.
Untold millions have died during
crusades or jihads to convert or
render dead the nonbelievers.
How can zealots be so religious
yet be so misguided? I kill you
in the name of God!

He lives in a different nation.
Chinese versus Japanese versus Korean,
Irish versus English, Indian versus
Pakistani – I rest my case.

He doesn’t think or act exactly
the same, even a fellow American:
Republican versus Democrat,
conservative versus liberal,
Protestant versus Catholic,
heterosexual versus homosexual,
pro-life versus pro-choice,
Ohio State fan versus Michigan fan,
the rich co-worker with the Mercedes,
the neighbor who plays loud music…
No reason seemingly is too petty
to engender hatred in some people.

How tragic that humans as a species
do not love as readily as they hate.