They Say It’s Only Some
They say it’s only some people
who fear the unfamiliar,
only some who harden
when difference walks into the room.
But listen closely.
Not to what they say—
to how they react.
The hesitation.
The distance.
The quiet sorting.
It’s not hatred most of the time.
It’s reflex.
A tightening inside,
learned long before it’s questioned.
A look that measures.
A tone that shifts.
A warmth that cools
without anyone meaning it to.
Everyone denies it,
because everyone wants to be clean of it.
Yet everyone has flinched.
Everyone has drawn a line in their mind
between “familiar” and “other.”
Some are loud with it.
Most are subtle.
Many never notice it at all.
This isn’t about nations.
This isn’t about lines on maps.
It’s about humans
and the fear they carry quietly.
And yes—
we are still Kurds.
Still human.
Still watching,
still naming what others pretend isn’t there.
Not to accuse.
But to stay honest.