“Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated.”
George Bernard Shaw

There is no room
In my life
For hate,
My own
Or anyone else's.
I acknowledge
My strong feelings
And give them voice,
But I refuse
To allow them
To fester and
Blacken my soul
With insidious poison.
Instead
I use them
To propel myself
Toward positivity,
To widen my mind,
To encourage light
By finding ways
To improve the world,
To nurture hope
And good will,
Rather than to
Surrender
To the vile
Narrow-minded ideologies
Of others who
Have nothing to offer
But the evilness
Of their hate.

c. 2025