Forgiveness is rarely a
fully restorative gesture
There usually remains a
degree of the hurt felt
For some it’s simply
easier to settle an old score
To let bygones be done
with and just forgotten
Others struggle to fully
excuse and exonerate
Harsh words can leave
indelible traces for life
Blemishes that cannot ever
repair broken trust
Memories that haunt and
hurt without decline
Rather like the fragments
of a shattered mirror
Things never look the same
again once flawed…
Eileen T O’Neill
22/10/2019
What a succinctly written and hard hitting poem - really opens up the prompt
ReplyDeleteThat broken & repaired mirror image says it all. No matter how masterful the repair, no matter how much time passes, no matter how hard we try to forgive, one truth remains: "...Things never look the same again..."
ReplyDeleteWell done.
There is so much truth in these lines, Eileen:
ReplyDelete'Rather like the fragments of a shattered mirror
Things never look the same again once flawed'.
I agree, 'things never look the same again once flawed...'. A difficult path for the wronged one to travel towards forgiveness. So well put.
ReplyDeleteSo true you cannot put that broken piece back exactly the way it was before.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your poetry book.
Cheers
~Moonie
Yes,,,once that fall from grace happens it is never the same.
ReplyDeleteThat shattered glass, yes. That's perfectly placed in a profound poem!
ReplyDeleteYes, once said, words can not be unsaid. One can try to be okay with it. But we remember. Lovely to read you, Eileen.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the vision after, poignant!
ReplyDeleteMuch 💞love
We should remember that we all are different and see things differently. It is good that we or they should forgive but always realise that we see things differently and should accept that and move on.
ReplyDeleteforgive doesn't usually mean forget...
ReplyDeleteThat's true - and it reminds me of the japanese art of restoring with gold- so the cracks remain but make the object a piece of art. Wish it were so easy in real life, though!
ReplyDeleteI like your ending, Eileen. No, things are not the same anymore. But does it matter, life goes on. Or will it?
ReplyDelete..
"Forgiveness is rarely a fully restorative gesture"
ReplyDeleteStrong opening line, and your message resonates deeply. Sometimes, even when we forgive, the scars remain.
Love those last two lines.
ReplyDelete