Despairing

For those so unhappy sometimes our empathy is not enough.

Despairing

 

Sometimes I think to be kind is a crime,

For surely it comes with a punishment.

Those who do not judge will be judged,

And those that are cruel are free to do so.

 

Lies fuel hate,

And hate will eat your soul.

 

To those born of hate we gift compassion,

Though it is pity that we feel.

To hate means never to be happy,

Never to be happy is to never have lived.

 

Lies, hate, pity,

The agony of hopeless grief.

 

How sad, how very very sad ................

 

 

Reviews

[Mark]

'To those born in hate, we gift compassion..."
Never was the Christian walk more succinctly summed up than that.
We are charged with spreading love, even when we doubt it will be understood or accepted, even if it means our rejection or even death. We answer to a higher power than societal norms, and you have captured that beautifully in these few words. Thank you, Manoosh, for the reminder! Mark

[Monica]

This poem really speaks volumes

[Celtic Cat]

gosh this thing is still pounding in my chest. I wish I had no idea of what you speak, unfortunately it hits close to home as your words usually do. I am swirling with responses all dripping wet. Ignorance was bliss, oh so long ago.
"Never to be happy is to never have lived".... love this line. If that's not a smack in the forehead I don't know what is. Write on.

[GBU POETRY ONLY]

Yes empathy can go so far ... If you're kind, you can get trampled or as a friend once said you can get run over by a freight train OR dive out of the way. Hate and self-hatred usually go hand & hand. And those who lie & hate the unknown are truely tragically eaten up by both. But I digress. DESPAIRING is a bittersweet account of how hatred can come easy for many and kindness can be looked at as a weakness ... I especially love the lines: " And those that are cruel are free to do so." ... "Lies FUEL hate, and hate will eat your soul" & To those born of hate we GIFT compassion." tthanks for sharing your compassion..
GBU

[Dan Bullock]

I like the opening by itself and on its own right. I think to 'hate' is a worrying thing though, I think you should let certain things pass through your fingers and let them go.

A life living with anguish isn't a life lived. There's always something new to do! :)

[Father Mojo]

i will just comment on some of the mechanics (which usually drives people crazy, but anyway...):

the first stanza has a strong blank verse thing going on, except for the third line, which regresses to eight syllables. add two syllables to that line to make the stanza consistent. something such as "Those who do not judge will in turn be judged" or whatever.

in the second stanza, may i suggest "lies feed hate" to parallel the "eat" in the second line. and also, perhaps that line would be more powerful and accessible if the third person present tense were used: "Hate eats the soul." or even "Hate eats souls" to balance the two lines.

in the last line of the third stanza, you split your infinitive. "Never to be happy is never to have lived."

the first two lines of the third stanza flow nicely and naturally. the 10 to 8 syllable lines work well. perhaps you would consider imposing that on the last two lines as well. "And to hate means never to be happy/ and therefore never to have lived."

thematically the poem is good. i get the sense of futility, especially in doing good. it's the poetic "no good deed goes unpunished."

thank you for sharing it.

[Jola]

We must not judge anyone!!!!
An interesting style of writing .. row full of expression and reflection ...
Manoosh:) good job!!!!
Thx :)Jola

[Bear]

Seems as though there is always something/someone that "rubs one the wrong way" and gee, somehow, someone will let you know that you're being to judgemental/hard and that one day the one you try so hard to ignore is the one who might be to whom who reach out to for HELP when the tides wash over thee.

Guess we all have to "take a chill pill" and seek the common ground, shared by all?

FINE WRITE!! Thanx for sharing and reminding me.
Sallie Bear

[Ich bin das Giftmä..]

What a touching poem, sometimes we become consumed by our hate, and sometimes it is what fuels us to actually prove some people wrong. It's a tricky cycle of things

[Siddartha Beth Pierce]

How true - though we keep on giving empathy in the face of such adversity. Well said in very few words. Thank you for sharing this.
Light,
Siddartha

[emmajoy]

Do unto others .. even in our weakness.

To love is what matters in this world .. hate gets us nowhere - and your words prove this .. ' To hate means never to be happy, Never to be happy is to never have lived. '

A beautiful post.