The Cost of Peace

In an Ideal World 

forgiveness would be earned

But even when it’s undeserved,

I forgive;

not to excuse,

but to unclench my own fist.

Peace demands a toll,

and sometimes I pay it

just to be free.

I forgive, not for you,

but for the silence I seek

in my own chest.

When rage has cooled

and sorrow’s flood recedes,

I drain the ache.

Not to forget,

but to survive.

A bridge burned

is not rebuilt

with apologies alone.

It is gone,

charred air

where laughter used to live.

I do not cross,

but I do not stand

on the ashes forever either.

I do not wait

at the edge of ruins.

I do not rebuild

where rot once hid beneath paint.

But I do not curse the river either.

I wade through it.

I find a new path.

I carry only what I need.

I walk away,

lightened.

Not of memory,

but of the weight

of carrying you with me.

Written: 2025