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Leviticus 19:18
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
I spend a lot of time in my head, thinking, stressing, humming, daydreaming, and reading. Just as music can get stuck in your mind, a Bible verse can be equally haunting. I've had many moments when a particular verse clings to me like a parasite.
I’m not sure how others cope with these moments, but I know how I do...
Listen to poem:
Inspired by Leviticus 19:18
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Let go the clenched fist,
the smoldering weight of old wrongs,
for vengeance is a shadow
that dims the light in us all.
See the stranger’s eyes—
they mirror your own quiet hopes,
their heart beats as yours,
a rhythm of shared, fragile dreams.
Love them as you would
cradle your own weary soul,
with patience, with grace,
a warmth that needs no name.
In this act, we rise,
neighbors bound by simple truth:
to love is to live,
and living, we touch the divine.
Copyright © Joel Hawksley | Year Posted 2025
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