war is a mirror
revealing who we are
and what we will become
if we ignore hatred’s spark
and allow it to grow
to a raging flame

we pray
“deliver us from evil”
as if evil
were outside of ourselves
untouched by our minds
distant from our hearts

we pray
“deliver us from evil”
but the honest will pray
“deliver us from ourselves”

 

poetry by j.e. fernandez