Monsters cannot comprehend
People who hold within them
Kind-hearted integrity
Born of who they are
Without agenda
Built on the recognition
Of our shared humanity
When faced with cruelty
These noble souls
Do not retaliate
Against their adversary
Witnessing such empathy
Monsters fade to humans
Shook by a gentle presence
Fury melts into relief
Tears spill from their eyes
Cleansing a hateful heart
Because you do not leave them
Alone with their hidden pain
Poems of Pandemic Days by Alice Curley 