You... & Me! Poem by Mehreen Tahir

You tell me I do not belong here,
my crime; I worship another god.
You look down upon me,
my fault; I was born into a different sect.
You denounce me,
my sin; I deviate from your beliefs.
You condemn me,
my mistake; I follow my own set of rules in life.
You criticize me,
deplore me,
point your finger at me at all times,
but I never respond.
Instead, I choose to look away,
because I am different,
and I proudly say I’m different from you,
when I don’t judge on these petty issues,
rather, I welcome the differences,
and co-exist,
with another faith,
another belief,
another idea,
welcoming the change.
And it is you, who does not belong,
the one who should be condemned,
it is you, who creates all this hatred,
you judging misguided soul!