once upon a time
everything seemed fine
for I saw compassion
rooted deep within
the heart of
humankind
but perhaps it was
just a childhood
dream,
innocent eyes
watching
within a world of
make believe
for now I look
and I see it
struggling
to make its way
to the surface
of ourselves
and our
very existence
held captive in
a place where
discrimination and
destruction abound
compassion now,
just another casualty
within my world
of make believe
crying out
from underneath
the inhumanity