Do not believe them
when they tell you it’s okay.
Let their lies pass you by
like unwelcome road noise 
fading into the distance 
as you turn your heart toward 
compassion.

Do not believe them
when they tell you cruelty is justified
because of where someone was born
or because they oppose the powerful.
Listen to your own tender soul crying out 
to ease the suffering inflicted.

Do not believe them
when they tell you this is how it has to be,
when you know in the depths of your being
it isn’t.