Combustion

Hate’s the smoldering ember
beneath a veneer
of separation, self-perceived
unworthiness, and fear.

Denied or unexamined,
its uncovering combusts
all oxygen in the room,
consuming the very ones
whose otherness holds the key
to extinguishing its rage.

Once its flames are
out in the open,
none but the soaked-in-hope
can get close enough
to spread the blanket of mercy.

© 2017 Todd Jenkins