Dear Minimalist,
Dear Belittler,
Dear Soulless Ginger,
Dear Stupid,
        because I know you hate being called that.
Dear ****,
Dear Liar,
Dear Sexist,
Dear Racist,
        you typical stereotyper.
Dear *******,
Dear *******,
Dear *******,
Dear ******-****,
Dear *******,
Dear *******,
Dear *******,

*******.

I'm a Christian
Not a Creationist
I'm a Helper
Not a Homophobe
I'm Righteous (Or I try to be)
Not racist
I'm a Believer
Not a Belittler
I love
Not laugh
I try
Not tease
I decide
Not to discriminate
I hate
Hate
I'm A Christian
Not an *******
And no matter what YOU believe
Those two do not have to be synonymous
I BELIEVE
In a God that created us Different but Equal
In a God that Loves
In A God who created my Universe
Whether it happened in 7 days
Or billions of years
The Bible does not have to be LITERAL
And Evolution does not have to be RULED OUT
I believe in Science
And I believe in Salvation
I believe in God
And I believe in the Human Genome
I believe in Equality
And I believe in Forgiveness
I believe in Mistakes
And I believe in Miracles
I believe in Love
No matter where it's found
And I believe that Loving Athiests
Will go to Heaven before Hateful Christians
I BELIEVE IN A LOT OF THINGS
I BELIEVE IN GOD
And that doesn't have to mean
That I'm Homophobic
That I'm Racist
That I'm CRAZY
That I'm Mean
That I'm Narrow-Minded
Or that I'm Perfect
BECAUSE I'M NONE OF THESE THINGS
I hate Hate
But I still Hate
Because I'm Human
And I Fail
And I KNOW that I Fail
And I Fix
And I Forgive
Because I believe in a God
That believes in Me

in the midst of the whirlwind inside
that begat every jagged shard
of which the fragments—ever so carefully shattered—
remain the only reminiscent shadow of what once was
of your heart

that in spending time with you
come deafening bursts of menacing contemplation
bleak musings of pure despair
seemingly intent on dispiriting every bone in your flesh
absent a way to stifle blaring thoughts
amid such daunting solitude

one look in the mirror
paired with words of distaste—
for you seem never to pause for mutterings
other than that of repugnance—
a critic to your own, a belittler
to none other than self

that an unadorned you
bare, stripped down
i will know to love—
every sheer nook and cranny—
for who you are

the greatest terror
lies in digging deep inside of you
and what clandestinity it may reveal
for in my chiseling
a torment so immense will befall you
through which gales you ought to learn
the significance
of knowing how to hold your own hand
and walking you through such tempestuous bits
to learn to quiet your mind,
still your soul

for one does not simply stumble upon the
tranquil silence he yearns to be acquainted with
and the acceptance
he ever so wishfully aches for
but in the midst of such turbulence
i shall set out
to learn to love you
in spite of you