Often the evil we imagine in others is what we cling to as the familiar. 

We know what it is instinctively, but fear letting go of what we have always known as our place, 

And we cast off and demonize the good, 

Throw love away and keep what is bad for us,

A cult of phony benevolence, leading us to be untrue to ourselves, 

Fearing the loss of all we’ve ever identified with.

But we know it’s wrong, deep inside.

It always has been, a lie, wrapped in a lie, gilded with gold and glitter. 

We know we have let it twist our minds and hearts, 

Warped into something we do not recognize in ourselves.

Yet we still cling to it. 

We still choose the sheen of goodness, 

Nothing more than a patina hiding the rot beneath. 

We lock ourselves into what we know is wrong, 

Bad beliefs, encouraging cowardice and hatred, 

Cloaked with a smile with which we’ve learned to hide it, 

And we grip it more tightly, afraid. 

We don’t have to accept it as all there is, 

And we know we let a more fulfilling life slip away for it, 

That we were wrong. 

We know what they are.

We hear their words and they are not the words of love. 

But our fear of change is so great, our being so indoctrinated, 

That we tell ourselves that it was for the best. 

It wasn’t. 

We should leave the false piety, the scripted friendships, and the opportunists avaricious behind … behind …

Leave the evil behind,

Grab onto that undying embrace, the warmth of ages.