for compassion

hate like toxic venom flows, spewed forth in dribs and drabs,

how will wounds ever heal, with such vitriol tearing at the scabs.

we shudder at the words of hate, dejected at times, wondering if they ever will cease,

though hoping for a wellspring of love, respect, of uBuntu*, 

just awaiting release.

so hope springs forth for we know it begins,

within us,

now,

today,

with simple acts of compassion,

that may just, 

just,

banish hate away.

* – uBuntu is an isiXhosa/isiZulu concept that espouses the “belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity”