It Becomes Easier (a poem)

If I allow myself
to understand you
as an abstraction,
it becomes much easier
to minimize your needs.

If I allow myself
to perceive you
as a generalization,
it becomes much easier
to justify my prejudice.

If I allow myself
to regard your life
as an oversimplification,
it becomes much easier
to confirm my bias.

If I allow myself
to see you
as you,
it becomes much easier
to discover humanity.

  — bshivers