stop. pause. breathe.
before you engage your mouth,
engage your mind and heart.

before you stoke your hating rage
stoke your memory with 
what makes for actual identity

before you deploy the missiles of your
words like patriot or scud, deploy
caution--

first, think. question. reflect.

do you want revenge?
do you want an I-told-you-so moment?
does more hatred satisfy hate?
will payback gratify your soul?

the "counter" always becomes what it countered

should the generation of today be responsible
for the atrocities of their parents--grandparents, great-great, etc.?

first, pray. suspend judgment--rethink the narrative

no one wins a prize by gloating.
no one is a hero by murder.
no one becomes more human by dehumanizing anyone.