Poetry About Hate

Hate is a heavy word, a burning coal held in the hand. It is often the shadow side of love, born from betrayal, fear, or profound misunderstanding. These poems do not shy away from the intensity of anger, but they also seek to understand it. They explore how hate corrodes the vessel that carries it and how, sometimes, it is a misguided form of self-protection.

Through the lens of poetry, we can examine this volatile emotion from a safe distance, dissecting its roots and its bitter fruit.

Featured Poems

Acid

How hatred eats away at the one who feels it.

I carried your name like a stone in my shoe, limping through days just to spite you. I drank the poison and waited for you to die.

But you are out there, living, breathing, laughing in the sun, while I am here in the dark, corroding from the inside out.

- Damon Stone

The Wall

Building barriers out of anger.

Brick by brick I built this monument to my grievance. Mortared with silence, reinforced with resentment.

It is a magnificent wall. It keeps you out perfectly. But I forgot to put in a door, and now I can't remember how to leave.

- Sarah O'Malley

Kindling

The spark that starts the fire.

It didn't start as a bonfire. It was just a spark of disappointment, fanned by a whisper, fed by a rumor. Now the forest is burning, and I am standing here with the matchbox in my hand, wondering why it's so hot.

- Marcus Thorne

Classic Voices

Fire and Ice

by Robert Frost (1920)

A succinct meditation on the two forces that could destroy the world: desire (fire) and hatred (ice).

Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.

Deeper Explorations

Bitterness

The lingering taste of old wounds.

Sour Grapes

I tell everyone I didn't want it anyway. But my mouth puckers at the lie. The sweetness I missed has turned to vinegar in my throat.

- Jenny Li

Revenge

The futile desire to settle the score.

Boomerang

I threw my anger out into the world, curving it perfectly to hit you. I watched it fly. I forgot that things return to the thrower.

- Kaleb West

Poetry About