Tlawmngaihna, an untranslatable word used by the people of Mizoram, India. It is a code of social ethics, which a Mizo lives by, that calls on each and every individual to be hospitable, kind, unselfish and helpful to others.
i want to ask white supremacists what it means to them to be white
what part of the human experience are they able to access when they feel so white
what angers them about all that is not white
why would a white god put anything but white people on god's good white earth
i want to ask neo-nazis what their ideal world is like
not on the foretold day of great victory, but just a lazy sunday a century after final independence
what would never happen again ever, that is worth fighting for
that is worth dying for
that is worth killing for
i want to ask the alt-right why their opinion of the liberal agenda should be the loudest one of all
what the right to free speech means if all their speech is only ever "ironic"
what their honest heart-on-sleeve take is on how they're feeling
right here, right now, in there
yes you
i'm talking to you,
looking into your eyes, deep down
not the name, not the costume
not the avatar pic or the clever nick
the person deep inside
past the blood and beyond the flesh
don't run, i mean no harm
you can always hate me tomorrow
but just for now,
shall we declare a truce, and talk
just talk, really talk
not about ideals or statistics
not about alternate histories or imaginary futures
just me and you
let's talk about the lives we've had
our earliest memories, our darkest fears
a tour of the highlights and the doldrums
(life huh, it gets us all in the end)
what's the hurry brother
you can always hate me tomorrow
please won't you stay a while longer
what do you have to lose
except the weight of
the axe that will never be sharp enough
no matter how much you grind
it seems like quite a burden
to carry; why not get some rest
i want to ask you if you know someone you love
more than anything in the world
and your fondest memories of that person
no really, i'm genuinely curious to know
why that person means so much to you
that you would even give your life to protect the other
love is truly a precious resource
refreshing fulfilling manna, sweet nectar
to bear the burdens of life
psst you want to hear a secret
i've learnt
love isn't found, it is grown
i want to tell you i can relate to that
i want to tell you i feel strongly too
i want to tell you all i've learned in life so far,
the hardest lessons and the sweetest joys
that i secretly admire people with all the answers
to all the big questions
how illuminating it must be
to see clearly without doubt or anxiety
and how urgent it must feel
to have to set the world aright as it should be
single-handedly
me, i'm barely hanging on
trying to make sense of it all
can't always tell left from right
let alone right from wrong
all i know is the sudden pang i feel
heart drops, stomach turns, spirit dies a little death
when i witness an injustice
every muscle and fiber in my body compels me to act
so i shout weakly, perhaps too meekly
hashtag not in my name
but maybe i'm just a coward to not put my own body down
on the line that must not be crossed
frankly i'm not even sure half the time
if i'm a good person deep inside
or pretending really really well
can you relate to that
oh look at the time
dawn is coming, you have to go
it's time to pick up your axe and hate again
you know what
we might meet soon after all, you and i
i will be on the line
the line that must not be crossed
i changed my mind
no i'm not any braver
but honestly i'm not sure
if i could live with myself knowing
when circumstances required my participation so badly
i didn't act
that my inaction could only be read as a decision
to be complicit
even if in the most banal or petty of evils
i don't think i can bear my memoir to be
a self-satisfied "i survived"
so just to be sure
i'll be on the line
the line that must not be crossed
even then, don't be a stranger
come say hi
you can always hate me tomorrow