This poem serves as an example of the paradox of tolerance.
I open the book,
its pages soft with human breath;
it cannot protect the hands that hold it.
The spine holds more voices than mine,
each one insisting on its own truth~
I open the book.
Every chapter welcomes difference,
every margin invites dissent;
it cannot protect the hands that hold it.
Every sentence leans toward mercy,
even when mercy strains and thins~
I open the book.
But tolerance has a shadow;
some ink cuts deeper than truth~
it cannot protect the hands that hold it.
I turn the last page and see:
the cost of tolerating every voice~
I open the book.
it cannot protect the hands that hold it.
Who am I to judge?
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
There is a thorn - a nightmare thorn -
that cannot be pulled from the skin.
It is covered with tiny barbs
that allow it only to be pushed deeper in.
It burrows when it is touched.
It seeks the fleshy core.
It is never happy with a surface wound.
It always wants more, more, more!
It never attacks alone, as well.
It bristles and waits for the unwary.
It is a jumping cholla spine;
and yet it is far less scary,
because it doesn’t pretend nor hide
and then stab the world from the left-hand side.
remove cataracts of prejudice from those eyes;
let truth cut through comfort’s easy lies;
let not bias flatten people into shapes;
let not fear sharpen shadows into threats;
let not judgment wound others without cause;
let courage remove prejudice from those eyes.
My lovely flowers
in the rain and cold
It’s almost snow.
They tolerate a lot
to stay beautiful,
They know something
we should know.
atheist watching christians in red caps cursing immigrants
My heart shatters for all
the injustice I see in the world,
what hope do we have for mankind
if it's so difficult to get along?
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
You almost knew what you were doing
You were in my bar
The way they had to you blind
Then keep you out of mind
That was who I was
Eyelids tell the x rated story to blank friends and hires
The only thing we have now is common ground whether we admit that or not
I wasn't alone there in my vomit yet the sooner they could feel it, the pulse had to wait for my name and its jester like curse
One day I held on to the drink
Your pale with hell to share in the next drunk circle jerk yet I wish the
Very well in parrelel to you
That a fume will sit for you and hear the darkest bell of turnarounds
I know where you were
The spelling of first
I know where you were
Pier Paolo Pasolini
loved to skate with Sonja Henie.
"But isn't she a Nazi?"
"Who cares? She puts up with my ragazzi."
The Tolerance Of
Not Being Loved
Can Be
EXTREMELY
STUBBORN
Sometimes.
Keep It Up:
As
Long
As
You
Can.
Play On.
-Gray Squirrel
12-20-2025
Jesus Christ preached tolerance.
Mohammed did the same.
Yet modern day messiahs,
Have brought upon them shame.
The Hindu faith is peaceful,
Jainism and Buddhism too.
But religious fanatics
Spread hatred through and through.
Every war is ruinous,
Many human lives are lost.
Conflicts benefit no one.
They come at tremendous cost.
Let us break the shackles,
Of extremist discourse.
Let's spread peace and harmony.
Let's be a positive force.
The persecution twenty-six years long
Practitioners of Falun Dafa horrifically wronged
The China's regime, still no remorse
The face of retribution comes all in due course
The evil epidemic emerged from Wuhan
Rapidly, relentless, traversed the land
Over the seas and around the earth
The ccp virus was a karmic birth
Awaken people to the truth that's spread
Communism is a poisonous dread
It binds humanity into darkness and despair
Break the ties from the evils’ lair
Embrace the goodness of the Divine
The Creators’ Law, for all to find
Reflect deeply within your soul
Your true self will let you know
Truth, compassion and tolerance is good
The Greatness of Falun Dafa will be understood
Little darling, thy fada wears a garland of frowns,
The breda must explain their jokes to him across the night,
Worry devours his heart,his wallet emptied of light,
Fallen sistrins and soaring debts weigh him down.
Parasitic friends,the firewater that hauls him down,
Your mada' open relationship haunts him without end
You poor black girl,his paternal duty no hand can mend,
So little darling,mockingbird sings sagacity' gentle crown.
'' Motivate him'',cries nightingale,'' seek angels that heel,
Set calm and clear,boundaries firm and the rule of right,
Recall the days when Rastafari made his soul bright ,
Technicalized guidance cuts through despair and anger's steel.
Sistren and fada ,simmer down a little bit,sooth the strife,
And read The Holy Piby for blessings in holy Jah life''
Glossary of Useful non pompous English terms:
Fada-father
breda-brother
sistrins -sisters
mada--mother
Rastafari--the best religion
technicalized-professional
Holy Piby-Bible of Rastafari
Three thousand years of pain
One hundred and fifty generations,
Can we define this as insane
A cauldron full of grief and trepidation.
No one deserves this sorry fate
Enslaved and dispossessed,
Wondering the world as human freight
Herded and processed.
Yet there lies across the fence
A people just as ravaged,
Between the twain a situation tense,
That by history's sad fate - has too been savaged.
Israelis and Palestinians divided by their faith,
Fighting over dirt their grandfather's tilled,
Where once was pride in sense of place,
Now lonely graves where blood was
Spilled.
Is there an answer - a solution to this sorrow,
Where cousins in but name may coexist,
Or are we yet to see more wars to follow,
And not from killing to desist.
The future is not mine to give,
But a prayer to free them from this yoke,
May a path be found for all to live,
To make a life that’s more than hope.
Jesus Christ preached tolerance.
Mohammed did the same.
Yet modern day messiahs,
Have brought upon them shame.
The Hindu faith is peaceful,
Jainism and Buddhism too.
But religious fanatics
Spread hatred through and through.
Religion is a binding force,
Meant to guide the human race,
On the path to righteousness,
To achieve the Gods’ grace.
Misguided by avarice,
Nations are driven to war.
Artificial boundaries
Created; humanity tarred.
Every war is ruinous,
Many human lives are lost.
Conflicts benefit no one.
They come at tremendous cost.
Let us all break the shackles,
Of extremist discourse.
Let's spread peace and harmony.
Let's be a positive force.
For too long has Mother Earth,
Borne the disasters of wars.
It is time that mankind joins,
And travels together afar.
Let us forget jingoism;
Join the brotherhood of Man.
Eliminate all conflicts.
Together, we surely can.
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