The Hate That Destroys The World Poem by RIC BASTASA

when hate arrives with silent fury like a
tsunami,
so many lives are broken
so many houses are buried beneath
the muddy waters

have pity for the little girl
who was playing with her doll
when your gigantic waves
buried her alive,

that little boy was climbing the apple tree
to gather the ripe ones

mothers were frying bacon in the kitchen
as fathers went to work all day
in the ceramics factory

it was your hate that washed and buried them
all alive
and now
when you are at peace on
a subsiding fury
what do you have to see?

an island of debris
a long line of hungry people waiting for food and water
slippery roads
muddy feet
an open ground without shelter
lost dogs roaming the streets

an island that is warped in time in utter
distress
a sudden loneliness
the whole world watches
with horror and pity

inside you is another world full of guilt
what your hate has destroyed
you can never pay...