Hate 

is the bogeyman

under the bed

who threatens to gag

us

with a slice of bologna

hoping

we 

will never 

ever

recognize

which  four letter word

has the 

power 

to stick him 

back 

into 

the closet of a heartbeat

“sickening isn’t it?”

he cries

and this is how

he dies

4 letters at a time

L-O-V-E