When I am

in

tolerance

mode,

I accept

what is

and 

what is 

not

to my

liking.

Except,

it’s now 

hard 

to remember

tolerating

what I 

don’t like.

The noise

from the

train

of thought

is more

tolerable

than

the noise

on the tracks

(that tracks)

outside

my mind.

That which

offends

me

I defend

against.

In tolerance

mode,

I recognize

compromise 

as a potential.

But the torrential

down

pouring

of cynicism

and tribalism

for the sake

of upping

the ante

of the anti-

agreeable

for the foreseeable

future,

is intolerable

to me.

I tune out

more

each day,

as avoidance

fosters

my endurance

without

the persistence

of the nonsense.

In tolerance

mode,

I can listen

and know

I can

respect.

I suspect

those opportunities

are in your

communities

more than

you know.

I find

myself

in tolerance

mode,

when being

among

real people

who want

to meet,

not compete

for likes.

But I’d like

people

to like this

and share

these conversation

starters—

as I think

we are partners

in

tolerance—

in 

consonance

with a need

greater than

 dominance.