"Forgive and Forget"

Over time, the walls of self-defense become chinked with wear   

Overgrown by ivy, flowering each spring with climbing roses,     
The origins for brick and mortar fade in memory     
The enemy’s conniving and manipulation forgotten with each
          passing season     

Over time, the story of the their cruelty mutates     

Into a softer narrative of the human frailty found within their souls  
And the need to forgive and forget their heartless and vindictive 
          natures      
Grows because I must repair my damaged spirit      

Over time, the protective barriers seem superfluous      

My internal longings to belong create false hope      
That “this time” will prove different—better      
That somehow they’ve gentled with time      

Foolish me—to pull down the walls, to retell the tale        

To desire their love    

Foolish me—to provide them opportunity, to crush me     

Under the weight of my forgiveness      

Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman