I FORGIVE YOU / THAT IS ALL
a poem about letting go
forgiveness, a gift and a curse
forever is best and is worst
to see you again, I’m unsure
if it would go well anymore
I want to let the past be done
you want things to change and become
more like they had been way before
I don’t think you should be so sure
of yourself, your silence spoke volumes
for all of those years, and all of my tears
had cascaded around me to pool at my feet
and you were not there, you had to retreat
you had to be silent and still when it mattered
so I just ignored your frail heart as it shattered
when I stepped away, stepped far out of your life
you soon grew to resent my name in your strife
and we’re adults now, it won’t be the same
this isn’t the world we both thought we would claim
I want to stay far away from all this mess
you want to rebuild and relinquish your stress
I have to be honest, I can’t let you in
I could never hate you, I love what you’d been
to the me long ago, but I’m different, you see
it won’t be forgiveness you can wrest from me
About the Creator
angela hepworth
Hello! I’m Angela and I love writing fiction—sometimes poetry if I’m feeling frisky. I delve into the dark, the sad, the silly, the sexy, and the stupid. Come check me out!
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Comments (10)
A touchy subject close to major arteries. Yikes! You did the 'delicate-surgical-scalpel-procedure-poem-thingy.' And you did it well. Impressive!
Your poignant piece made me think of Philip Roth's novel, Letting Go.
This is so relatable ♥︎
Great use of rhyme! This flows so well
"forgiveness, a gift and a curse" I like this line.
This poem carefully sorts out a moral problem and a metaphysical problem at once, as far as I can see: even if forgiveness is conducive to the flourishing of both parties, one ought not to infer that the other is forgiving his or her or their current self; the party forgiven is really an erstwhile self, who committed the transgression in the past. The speaker forgives who the transgressor was, so is not reconciled to who the speaker is. Very subtle, skillful work!
I really liked the rhyme with this. It emphasized a deliberate control to the powerful emotions. Great poem!
This was so sad and relatable. Sending you lots of love and hugs ❤️
Forgiveness, both a blessing and a burden we bear, Healing wounds while memories linger in the air
"forgiveness, a gift and a curse" wow such a wonderful start. Your words are eye-catching.