IN THE CROSS HAIRS

I like to get around unnoticed,

blending with the crowd.

Too often in my travels though,

I hear insults aloud.

Most folks I meet are neighborly,

with friendly things to say;

then there are those I must avoid

and stay out of their way.

I've always had a peaceful nature,

passive and benign;

yet, there's a certain counter culture,

seeking to malign.

I keep within my own environs

minding my affairs,

yet, once I'm out among them

I feel caught in their cross hairs!
 

I have a secret weapon though,

I never get involved.

By staying otherwise absorbed,

the quandary is solved.

Is it my accent, or my looks?

What quirk sets me apart?

Or do they hold this attitude

towards everyone, at heart?

To understand the logic here, 

there is no rationale;

the unwavering offenders

have innately low morale.

I've met these people all my life,

in different times and places.

The only changes I can see

are different names and faces.

A meaningless, one-sided war

is won without competing;

it only shows that from the start

it's one that's self-defeating!

Peace!

~William