Prejudice

This poem was inspired by Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men.

When human beings hate and fear,

The mind is bent and cannot thrive,

Survive, survive, just stay alive,

The devil whispers loud and clear.

Hating others with prejudice, 

Are we not a loving people,

The cross melts down through the steeple,

Where is the good in all of this.

A helping hand I wish to lend.

In the gut, a killer’s wrenching,

In the heart such mournful yearning,

Take the life oh trusted friend.

Justice, justice where is justice,

One life ends to save another,

Friend, foe, or maybe a brother,

A choice is made without malice.

Bigotry makes cool heads falter,

Have swords replaced the mighty pen?

I say always, all lives matter,

Including those of mice and men.