What made you so angry
or afraid of them that you drove
your truck into that family
like you were a rabid animal
tearing at their surprised flesh?
Was it the way they pray
all together
everyone rolling out their mats
five times a day
as a collective act
of humility?
Was it the way they fast
during Ramadan
abstaining not just from food
but from arguments too?
Was it the way
the grandmother’s smile
pulled at the sides
of her hijab?
Was it the mural
the daughter
made at her school
about shooting
for the stars?
Did you meet them once
or someone like them?
Were you greeted
with words you
didn’t understand?
If only you’d asked,
they would have explained
the words were not a judgment,
they were a gift.
Peace,
was all they wished,
be upon you.