Terror

It’s a personal experience

in which fear is escalated

to unimaginable levels.

Its perpetrators must not be

allowed to define it.

That task can  fall only

to those who are consumed.

Opposite of "peace that passes understanding",

it is "angst that shatters all connection".

We cannot simply add "ism" to it

and get to decide who wears its label.

Dehumanization in any form

manifests terror, even

and especially when it is sanctioned

by law or religion, including our own.

Only the vigilance of honesty, humility,

and humanity will give us vision

to unclench its suffocating grip.

 

Photo by DeEtta Harris Jenkins

© 2015 Todd Jenkins