There’s Only One I In Bigotry: Tanka

THERE’S ONLY ONE I IN BIGOTRY

God gave us two eyes
In His infinite wisdom
So we could see things
From more than one point of view
But one too many for some

Opposites

OPPOSITES

The opposite of love
Is not hatred but fear
Hatred is simply
An armour for fear

Darkness is not
The opposite of light
It is simply
An absence of light

Sugar For Salt

SUGAR FOR SALT

May you ever travel peacefully
And with worthy companions
Be sure never to let your fear
Seed hatred toward others
May you ever travel peacefully
And with worthy companions

May you ever travel peacefully
And with worthy companions
If you’re not part of the solution
Then you’re part of the problem
May you ever travel peacefully
And with worthy companions

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood)

Crash on the levee, mama
Water’s gonna overflow
Swamp’s gonna rise
No boat’s gonna row
Now, you can train on down
To Williams Point
You can bust your feet
You can rock this joint
But oh mama, ain’t you gonna miss your best friend now?
You’re gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow

Now, don’t you try an’ move me
You’re just gonna lose
There’s a crash on the levee
And, mama, you’ve been refused
Well, it’s sugar for sugar
And salt for salt
If you go down in the flood
It’s gonna be your own fault
Oh mama, ain’t you gonna miss your best friend now?
You’re gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow

Well, that high tide’s risin’
Mama, don’t you let me down
Pack up your suitcase
Mama, don’t you make a sound
Now, it’s king for king
Queen for queen
It’s gonna be the meanest flood
That anybody’s seen
Oh mama, ain’t you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you’re gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow

 

(Copyright © 1967 by Dwarf Music; renewed 1995 by Dwarf Music)

Begone Enchanting Hatred

BEGONE ENCHANTING HATRED

Inner exploration
Of whatever hatred
Arises within us
Is the only way out

With terror confronted
(Oz’s humbug wizard)
False images dissolve
Love is reunited

Fearspawn

FEARSPAWN

Many people believe
(Having been taught so)
That love and hatred are opposites

But in my experience this is not correct
The true opposite of love is fear

Fear is the ground
From which hatred grows

Love opens us up
Fear closes us down

We no longer see
So we imagine

And hate what
We think we see

To overcome our hatred
We must first overcome our fear
Of our fellows and of ourselves

Badge Of Shame

…..
…..

BADGE OF SHAME

Pride and prejudice
I love the book but hate it
Used as a motto

Looking Out Not In

LOOKING OUT NOT IN

We have been schooled into believing
That love’s opposite is hate, but hate
Is simply an outbranching from fear

They want to govern us using fear
So they try to distract our attention
And teach us how to hate instead

Bitterness

BITTERNESS

In German bitte
Is respectful and means please
But English sticks on
An r and adds emotion
And not a comforting one

The Gunpowder Plot

THE GUNPOWDER PLOT

You spy difference
Then pass judgement upon it
Just what the world needs

Flutterbys

FLUTTERBYS

Feelings flicker on and off
Change places like a carousel

You know …
or else you do not know …

You love …
or else you do not love …

You hate …
or else you do not hate …

You fear …
or else you do not fear …

Admire …
worship …
or else despise …

… him
or … her
or … them
or … people

You think or else you do not think of
these feelings flickering on and off
changing places like a carousel

Words
just words
simply words?