If I Were a Poet

All my life I hated you.
You wore the colors of the other side,
spoke another language,
thought and acted differently.
I prayed for every opportunity
to kill you and your children,
and I know you prayed the same for me.
We lie here now, side by side,
our breaths growing fainter,
our blood running out,
making one pool, one color.
You fought well, protecting
your family and the little piece of land
I wanted to take from you.
In an hour we will be perfect equals,
so let’s not spend our last minutes hating.
We can’t speak with words,
but we can see in each other’s eyes
the fear, and the longing to be forgiven.