Choice (Dedication Rep. Gabrielle Gifford)

Am I alone
fearing the loss
of my home
not the edifice
or individual abode
but that which is within
the Human kind
I struggle with all
the vitriol
the distasteful
disdainful hate
that affronts our
better nature
We fling mire
at each other
because others
tell us to
We neither question
their direction
or accept personal
responsibility for
choosing to follow
the base of
which is our
primeval make up
in lieu of choosing
to accept the challenge
of resolve through discourse
We attack, we demonize
rather than choose
to understand
We close our eyes
rather than try
to discern truth
I fear the loss
of heart
of mind
of soul
of humankind
Soon enough
it will be taken
from us and
we will have
wasted the freedom
of choice