I Forgive You
Julie Gr o ssm a n
I’m not going to
Simply call you
A piece of shit
For every woman you’ve hit
That you’ve kissed and you’ve hurt
With your fist and your words
You see me as trash
As your hand cups my ass
You grab and you grope
Choking on tired old tropes
Of women who tease
And need to just squeeze
Their knees
I’m not going to profess
You’re some kind of SS
When you spew your vile
(Through the same lips that smile)
Call me Jew scum
Say I’m not welcome
Here in this town
We should all just drown
Like rats in cages
Such hate that enrages
As you call me kike
Simply because
It’s my name you don’t like
I want you to know
...and I’ll say it slow...
I forgive you.
For hearing in your head
Echos of words said
Every day of your youth
The lies and part-truths
The pictures they show
As you fledge and you grow
Images that stir feelings
To grease their business dealings
Stoking primal desires
Poking at the fires
To line their pockets with green
Food for the machine
And for the demagogues
With blathering microblogs
They banter and brag
Blame and sandbag
Behind starry flags
I get it! The pain and the fear
Everything you hear
Fragments of the story
Restored to glory
Rhetoric
Crafted
To tick
I forgive you, I do
I have a son
A wee little one
Who’s going to see
Not you, but me
And if I carry my hate
Like a .1 ton weight
I’ll pass on to him
(Much to my chagrin)
The hurt and the anger
That linger
I forgive you because
I can’t go on
Just another pawn
I’ll be the one
To stop the bleeding, the pain
I won’t happen again
I’m breaking the chain
36
Cauldron Anthology