in answer to your observation
about my hypocrisy – my
stating that I hate
most everyone, and do not
suffer boring fools
lightly, yet showing great
kindness and patience
in dealing with
difficult individuals –
I’ve figured out
the common thread.
I have an endless supply of
the following:
patience
tolerance
kindness
and love
for those whom I perceive as
socially oppressed, and
zero
zip
zilch
none
for the social oppressors.
seat me in a sea of Salmons
and you’ll see the worst
of me, the airless depths
of my most cynical hate.
but park me among those who are
different
special
awkward
and you’ll see
my gentlest, sweetest side, when
I recognize a fellow refugee
from the island of
misfit toys.
it’s entirely consistent
with my worldview
and my history. it may
not be correct, and
it’s undoubtedly
heavily prejudicial
against those preppy dudebro types,
and the kind of girls
who hang out with them,
because they remind me
so very painfully of those who
tormented, mocked
and derided me, who made my life
a living hell growing up –
some of them within
my own family – but at least
I can explain
where it comes from.
I think where I may be mistaken
is in my assumption
that the normcores make up
95% of people. also
perhaps I have overlooked
the possibility
that even dudebros
may deserve love, too.
though I’m not sure
I’m the one
who can give it to them,
because when I look at them en masse
I see a jeering mob
of homophobes, and it
sickens me. but I’ll try
to see beyond my disgust
and hatred and yes, fear,
to whatever goodness may still
live inside of them. after all,
they were innocent children once, too.
R. Brookes McKenzie 