Working lyric mirror: Lyrics\Working Lyrics\My Souls Reflection in Other People's Eyes\My Souls Reflection in Other People's Eyes.md

My Souls Reflection in Other People's Eyes

Alternate Titles / Variants

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Source Files

Version 1 - My souls reflection in other people's eyes_260417_110737.pdf

Source file date/code: `260417_110737`


## Page 1

I have witnessed hate
in the faces of racism
in the mouths of fear
in the hands of phobia
I have watched people
turn whole lives
into symbols
into threats
turn people into
something less than human
And I stand here a stranger to it
fifty years of life
and hate has never made a home in me
I have known anger
I have known hurt
I have known despair
I have known grief
but never that hardening

## Page 2

never that hunger
to make another soul smaller
so I could feel safe
Maybe that is why
it feels so unreal
how easy some can trade
another person's humanity
for belonging
for certainty
for fear dressed up as truth
I do not understand hate
but I have seen what it does
how it flattens a life
how it closes the eye
how it turns a person
into a wall
Still
something in me refuses
I will not call that weakness
I will not call that blindness
if hate is learned
then maybe this is something else

## Page 3

something unbroken
something that still sees
And I do see
I see the wound beneath it
the fear beneath it
the pain looking for a target
I know what it is
to turn against myself
I know what it is
to try to change
in order to survive myself
I know what it is
to carry what feels unbearable
I did not fully hate myself
but there were parts of myself
I could not accept
and I turned that discomfort
into action
and attempted transformation
I met what was hard in me
and by going through it
I learned how to recognize pain

## Page 4

more truthfully
What I once fought in myself
became part of what taught me
how to recognize pain in others
without meeting it only
with fear or anger
What I once turned inward
I have seen others turn outward
I have seen my soul's reflection
in other people's lives
I have witnessed hate
turn fear into armor
I have witnessed hate
turn pain into a target
I have witnessed hate
turn a wounded self
into a weapon
I have witnessed hate
turn fragile certainty
into cruelty dressed as truth
But seeing is not surrender
understanding is not becoming

## Page 5

compassion is not blindness
and I refuse the harm
I have seen hate
all around me
and still
it has never made a home in me

Version 2 - My souls reflection v2_260417_200459.pdf

Source file date/code: `260417_200459`


## Page 1

Title: My Soul's Reflection in Other People's 
Eyes
I have witnessed hate
in the faces of racism
in the mouths of fear
in the hands of phobia
I have watched people
turn whole lives
into symbols
into threats
turn people into
something less than human
And I stand here a stranger to it
after fifty years of life
I have seen hate
all around
and still
it has never found a home in me
Maybe that is why
it feels so unreal
how easy some can trade
another person's humanity

## Page 2

for belonging
for certainty
protecting their insecurities
as fear dressed up as truth
I do not understand hate
but I have seen what it does
how it flattens a life
how it blinds
how it turns a person
small
Still
something in me refuses
empathy is not weakness
compassion is not blindness
to it all
this is something different
something unbroken
something that still feels
I have seen hate
all around
and still
it has never found a home in me

## Page 3

I do see
I see the wound beneath it
the fear beneath it
the insecurities they hide
the pain looking for somewhere
to place blame
I know what it is
to turn that against myself
I know what it is
to not want to try to change
I did not hate myself
but there were parts of me I didn't like
I could not accept
and I turned that discomfort and pain
into action
I met what was broken and was transformed
by going through it
In order to survive
I learned how to recognize pain
more truthfully
what I once fought inside
became part of what taught me

## Page 4

how to recognize pain in others
without meeting it
with fear, anger or disregard
What I once turned inward
I have seen others turn outward
I have seen my soul's reflection
in other people's eyes
I have witnessed hate
turn fear into armor
I have witnessed hate
turn their insecurities and self-doubt
into a need to place blame
I have witnessed hate
turn a wounded self
into a weapon
I have witnessed hate
turn their fragile certainty and internal pain
into cruelty dressed as truth
But empathy is not surrender
understanding is not forgiveness
compassion is not blindness

## Page 5

and I refuse the harm hate can do
I have seen hate
all around
and still
it has never found a home in me
It has never found a home in me
Title: My Soul's Reflection in Other People's 
Eyes
I have witnessed hate in the faces of racism 
in the mouths of fear in the hands of phobia
I have watched people turn whole lives into 
symbols into threats turn people into 
something less than human
And I stand here a stranger to it after fifty 
years of life
I have seen hate all around and still it has 
never found a home in me
Maybe that is why it feels so unreal how easy 
some can trade another person's humanity

## Page 6

for belonging 
for certainty protecting their insecurities as 
fear dressed up as truth
I do not understand hate but I have seen what 
it does
how it flattens a life how it blinds how it turns 
a person small
Still
something in me 
refuses
empathy is not weakness compassion is not 
blindness to it all
this is something different something 
unbroken something that still feels
I have seen hate all around and still it has 
never found a home in me
I do see
I see the wound beneath it the fear beneath it 
the insecurities they hide the pain looking for 
somewhere to place blame
I know what it is to turn that against myself I 
know what it is to not want to try to change

## Page 7

I did not hate myself but there were parts of 
me I didn't like parts of me I could not accept
and I turned that discomfort and pain into 
action
I met what was broken and was transformed 
by going through it in order to survive
I learned how to recognize pain more 
truthfully
what I once fought inside became part of 
what taught me how to recognize pain in 
others
without meeting it with fear with anger or 
disregard
What I once turned inward I have seen others 
turn outward
I have seen my soul's reflection in other 
people's eyes
I have witnessed hate turn fear into armor
I have witnessed hate turn their insecurities 
and self-doubt into a need to place blame
I have witnessed hate turn a wounded self 
into a weapon

## Page 8

I have witnessed hate turn their fragile 
certainty and internal pain into cruelty 
dressed as truth
But empathy is not surrender understanding 
is not forgiveness compassion is not 
blindness
and refuse the harm hate can do
I have seen hate all around and still it has 
never found a home in me
It has never found 
a home in me

Notes for Human Review