Friday, April 14, 2023

"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   

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