forgiveness

on penance: for my Joes

/ zdunno03 / 12 Comments

their day nears
and I hear
my grandfather say
as he lay dying
from Parkinson’s
Sweet Jesus
this is some penance
you gave me
and see
my father’s eyes
when no one else
was looking
the weariness
the sorrow
of the unforgiven
and here I am
far from the home
they tried making
older than either
ever were
and blood
of their blood
with penance
still left
to pay

on forgiveness

/ zdunno03 / 7 Comments

you say
I could never
forgive that
and I wonder
why
if the inability
to forgive
is not somehow
connected to
our pride
isn’t love
lover friend family
at least
selfless
not selfish
and though that
is not an easy thing
to be
to do
whoever said
loving
was easy

the dead of night: for JKW

/ zdunno03 / 3 Comments

there will be times
when all the words you said
all the acts you committed
will come crashing down around you
and at those times
in the dead of night
no one will be there
to save you
from your consequences
and in answer to your question
there will be no one
to forgive you
either
on this side of the world