“Hurt people hurt people,” say the shrinks,
envisioning a chain of links
passing the hurt on down the chain,
each enduring equal pain.

I think each link connects to many,
“In for a pound, if in for a penny!”
So some disburse a world of hurt
while others wear a horsehair shirt.

The world is wrapped in a web of hate.
Can we escape? It looks too late.
But each of us gets to decide
how much hurt we will provide

and how much love, and to how many
we will give how much, if any.
The web connects us either way,
tomorrow, now and yesterday.