When Hate Takes Over the Microphone
--njbell
Like silent fumes of noxious thoughts
I touch all lives at some time
Whether or not you see me
On the daily news
On Facebook,
On Twitter or Tic Tok
On the street and off
On the faces passing by. or
On a growing current of sentiment
Whether you see me or not,
I am there, like a virus,
Spreading clandestinely
Through coded nods and smiles
Through greetings and agreements
Through ads and slogans
Through fundraisers and rallies
Through relatives and neighbors
Through friends and team mates
My lies are profound and emotionally convincing
When half the facts are hidden or changed
Time is raided for the picking of old wounds
“Just keep your power, keep your advantages
Just never be thrown into the endless pit
Just keep helping to dig a hole for others.
Just throw them in, keep them under
Just restrict their means to achieve equality
Just follow the crowd, we know the way”
My helpers fear equality, fear others being empowered
And fear losing perceived entitlements of privilege
And fear being underfoot to someone with grievances,
By some people's collective actions
By some people's collective silence
By some people's collective smiling agreement
By some people's collective ignorance
By some people's collective violence and
By your country's collective history, in truth
I have had many names
As Hate, I touch every land
Using your own words against you
I borrow words from the repressive
I borrow words from the perverse
I borrow words from dead heroes
I borrow words from proud traditions
I borrow words from wealthy thieves
I borrow words from the morally bankrupt
I make a stand on platforms
Not being particular to venues
Just so long as it is
Dedicated to the derision of others
Dedicated to the coalescing of hate
Dedicated to the banner of superiority
Dedicated to the torch of vain victory
Dedicated to the way things should be, though they never were
Dedicated to all the seeds that promise a recycle of hate seasons
I lead a poisoned cry to arms
From shadows, increasing in might
Still dodging the opposing forces
That pointed out my irony
That pointed out my hypocritical criticisms
That pointed out my affinity to cause misery
That pointed out my disregard of justice
That pointed out the emperor has no clothes
That pointed out my heart of stone and waving flag
A rose is still a rose, no matter what it is called
Jim Crow is only one name
That mobilizes my hate
Into good ol' boys who stick together
Into friends and neighbors down the road
Into a group to stand within for safety
Into an invisible face with a mean end
Into a nostalgic remembrance of apple pie
Into lies that continue on the breeze, like smoke
I spring out of dormant embers
Hiding in traditions and giving murky ground
To flex my muscles in spite when it is time
When I am made to feel welcome again
When the front line of my opponents is in shambles
When conditions conspire to deceive en mass
When the new generation sees my golden road
When winning by cheating becomes a sign of success
When lie gets a new parade to dazzle admirers
I am come as Hate floating down Main Street
In broad daylight, for all to partake of me
Unconcerned and throwing confetti while
Grabbing a speaker to spread my messages
Grabbing the headlines, to stir the facts
Grabbing minds seeking a life preserver
Grabbing false leaders to form my new home team
Grabbing followers because people love to cheer together
Grabbing power, and celebrating being right when wrong.
Down through the ages, I have claimed many lives
I come out to play through the outrage I cause
I eat from the power of screams, fear and tears
Just like I eat from the power of false hopes and confusion
Just like I eat from the power of exclusion
Just like I eat from the power of apathy
Just like I eat from the power of helplessness
Just like I eat from the power of fear and distrust
Just like I always devour, that's what hate does
I stand in a high place looking over my battlefield
I feel the armies coming as rivers of bodies
I anticipate and relish the grief of a new generation
I can smell the blood that's coming
I can smell old upsets and confusions coming to new fruition
I can smell the fear, as targets fall in battle on both sides
I can smell the stagnant air bringing back old hate from the dead
I can smell sad traditions that glorified my might by your rights
I can smell the acrid eroding of direction and purpose
I know how the cycles of hate works, over time
One day I am on streets and billboards
Babies eating the lollipops of it, praised and adored
Children play and dream of power and privileges stolen
Teens with tunnel vision take up aggression
Adults take up signs and arms and pit life against life
Communities crouch under the threat of violence
Cities burn and courts crowd
And the country will once again, reach a tipping point
When a front line will re-emerge, because it is necessary
Leaders are born from likely and unlikely places
And a new lesson will begin
And a new unity will spread
And a new sense of direction will be born
And a new movement will begin
And a new movement to counter hate
And new faces will become seeds for the next crop
