I have seen and heard nothing in the last few days, except chaos and riots over the injustice surrounding police violence and the riots that are taking place all over the U.S. I am not here to take sides, because I personally believe that each side is wrong in the way this is being handled. 

Before you fill my comments with hate and arguments, let me explain my point. I am a woman who has been raped three times in my life. I have been in two physically and psychologically abusive relations that have left scars that do not heal. I have been turned down for numerous jobs because I am a woman. So, by societal thinking, I should be against men. I should despise them all. But I don’t. Why? Because I know that not all men are at fault for the injustices that have happened in my life. My rapists, abusers, and those who turned be away are the ones in the wrong.

I feel the same is true for the situations that have culminated into riots burning down our cities. I understand the pain from both sides. I have friends on all sides of the issue and see the animosity that arises from the injustices that are in this world. While what has happened is atrocious, I place blame for the injustices on those who have participated in them. The cops that kill without reason, the thieves who steal, the murderers who murder, and the racists who spout their hate. 

This does not mean that all cops are corrupt, nor does it mean all people of color are criminals, that all immigrants are drug dealers, or that all men are rapists. I believe blame should be placed where it belongs. As I watch buildings burn and societies crumble, I cannot help but cry for the lives that are lost for a cause that should not have to be explained. 

I do not believe that one life is more valuable than another just because of the color of their skin, the job that they do, or their sex. I believe that ALL LIVES MATTER. Not just those I agree with or associate with. Again, ALL LIVES MATTER!!!!

I pray for our world that is suffering through lock downs and crippling societal conflicts. I pray that a better world is on the horizon for all of us.

All Lives Matter

The world is spinning

   Spiraling out of control

Sides are fighting

   Looking for their broken hearts to console

Destruction abounds

   As the hatred seeps in

Can they not see

   This is not the way to win

Destruction begets destruction

   The voices are becoming skewed

Old hatreds resurface

   Old habits are quickly renewed

Cities are burning

   Leaving towns to rebuild

Lives are lost

   To justify so many who have been killed

This is not the answer

   Though many see it this way

This is only the beginning

   Of a higher price we will all have to pay

Peace is a luxury

   Offered only to the meek

Those who are humble 

   In the justice they seek

So many are victims

   Just as so many are at fault

Justice is not served though,

   Through society’s assault

The destruction will not bring back

   The lives that have been lost

Societal changes are what is needed

   To decrease this unacceptable cost