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I can't forgive you
I can't forget you
So I will wait
Until you crawl back
I will yell at you, be furious
Shout, cry, be stubborn
Until it's all out
I want it all out
Take it all
So I can take you back
M Vogel 2d
(a whispered prayer)


I. The Forgiveness of the Moon

We forgive the moon,
you and I—
the ancient tides that pulled us
long before we knew how to swim.

We forgive the heavy hand of the father,
the silent absence of the mother,
the bloodlines too tired to be gentle,
the nights too cold to hold a child right.

We forgive the ache written into us
before we ever spoke our first word of longing.

---

Today,
we bow.
Not because we are already whole—
but because grace has come for us again.

Grace,
measured by the strength we can offer today.
Grace,
poured into cups only as deep as our humility.
Grace,
rising new with every sun that dares light our faces.

We are not finished.
We are not flawless.

But we are forgiven.
And so we forgive.
And so we rise.

---

I forgive your moon, beloved—
the hunger it placed in your bones,
the war it started in your heart.

You forgive mine—
the quiet shatter I still carry under my ribs,
the tides I fight in my own blood.

And together,
we build grace upon grace—
one breath,
one trembling sunrise,
one more day
where love becomes stronger than history.


---

II. The Comfort of the Wellspring

Blessed be the Source of all Comfort—
who first comforted us
when we had no hands strong enough to hold ourselves.

Blessed be the One
who gave us the rising sun
when we still believed only the moon could rule us.

We forgive,
because we were forgiven.
We comfort,
because we were first gathered into arms not our own.
We breathe,
because Mercy breathed into us again
when our breath had long since failed.

---

Every morning,
the sun rises new over us.
Not because we earned it—
but because we are still beloved.

Every morning,
the wellspring opens again:
water for the broken,
water for the tired,
water for those who dared to believe
that forgiveness could outrun bloodlines,
and grace could rebuild a home
even over shattered stones.

---

You are no longer bound, beloved.
You are not the wound they left behind.

I am no longer bound, beloved.
I am not the ruin they called my inheritance.

We meet now at the river's edge—
and the river is rising.

Boundlessness waits for us—
not because we are perfect,
but because we are willing.

We step forward, hand in hand,
forgiven and forgiving,
reborn not just for ourselves,
but for all those who come after us.

This is how love becomes a lineage.
This is how morning becomes an endless beginning.

This is how heaven sings on the earth.


---

III. The Embrace in the Blood of Eden

We meet here.
Not above the brokenness.
Not beside it.
Inside it.
In the blood of Eden.
In the inheritance of sorrow.

The man and the woman,
the woman and the man—
standing barefoot in the floodwaters,
stained but unbowed.

---

I reach for you—
not because you are pure,
but because you are willing.

You reach for me—
not because I am faultless,
but because I am faithful.

We touch now, trembling,
skin to skin,
heart to heart,
forgiving the moon,
forgiving the night,
forgiving the tides that carried us far from each other.

---

We fall into each other’s arms—
not to erase the past,
but to hold it in mercy.

We kiss—
not to claim,
but to cleanse.

We lay down together,
in the blood of Eden,
and we let the river of grace
wash over our battered bodies.

We sleep,
wrapped in one another—
the man and the woman,
the woman and the man—
warmed by a sun that rises new
because we chose to forgive,
because we chose to be forgiven,
because we chose each other
when everything else said we should not have.

---

And so we end with this prayer:

  "In the blood of Eden—
   lie the woman and the man;
   with the man in the woman,
   and the woman in the man.

   In the blood of Eden;
   We have done everything we can.
   And so we end as we began--

   With the man in the woman
   And the woman in the man"


https://youtu.be/Vy0LJnvWpus?si=DjQ1OEdntbNGnNU2

xox
Sometimes we should be like rain, offering life to every living thing.
Sometimes we should smile, so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should cry, so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should help others, so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should forgive others,so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should forgive ourselves, so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should speak ,so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should remain silent , so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should appreciate our sacrifices,so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should break our commitments,so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should enjoy our lonely company, so that our soul feels pleased.
Sometimes we should forget ourselves in hard work, to let our soul breathe anew.



Sometimes we should take a long breath , and forget who we are,
And move on,
Like the sun that sets, yet always returns,
So our soul may rise in peace once more
A reminder that  in every tear, smile and silence, there is a path to inner peace
He didn’t mean to—
not really.

Just a flash of white,
a crescent moon of teeth
in soft rebellion.
My hand, the eclipse.
His eyes, twin puddles
spilled from stormclouds

he didn’t know he carried.

He backs away,
ears flattened like fallen wings,
tail tucked tight—
a question mark
curled in the dirt.


The bite stings less
than his trembling silence.

He watches me
as if I hold thunder
beneath my skin.

I crouch low.
He crawls lower,
guilt breathing louder
than either of us.

A shiver trails down
his brindle spine
like winter chasing spring.

And I—
I forgive him
before he even reaches
my outstretched palm.
I tend to forget that my parents were children once.
That like me, they had goals and ambitions and dreams
far larger than themselves once.
That they too heard the oh so familiar,
“Get good grades, work hard and no relationships until
18” once.

I tend to forget that my parents were children once.
They too were bound by rules and regulations
that did not fit their expectations of their idea of
freedom and self preservation.

I tend to forget that my parents were children once.
That they too faced abuse, violence and
toxic environments that shaped them.
And like me, all they wanted was a way out
from the one place they called home.

I tend to forget that my parents were children once,
so before i go and get all belligerent,
and blame them for the trauma and depression,
I should remember that they too had their innocence
stripped from them and like me,

They were children once.
ten years,
too late.

ten years—

and there's
no debate:

i will do
everything

to not be

like you.

i'm no saint,

but i know
when enough
is enough

and to draw
a line,

before it's
too late.

people come
and people go;

and i've come
to terms with
forgiving

and letting
go.

but in the midst of
it all, i hope
to be better

than to
risk it all.

because impressions
are forever,

and

i've learned
to forgive you
and move past it

rather than fall.
some legacies are meant to end. this isn't anger. this is release.
On the day that my Daddy died                                                             ­                 
                                                                ­                                                        
I went home for my last goodbye                                                          ­        
                                                        ­                                                          
                                                                ­                                                
Took my last walk around that place                                                          
                                                                ­                                                    
Held his jacket up to my face                                                             ­                 
                                               ­                                                             
breathed in my last scent of him                                                              ­                
                                                ­                                                              
thought about how I'd miss him                                                              ­    
                                                            ­                                                        
paid my last respects at his grave                                                            ­                            
                                                                ­                                              
thanked him for all the love he gave                                                      
                                                                ­                                                
Then I cursed my stubborn pride                                                        
   ­                                                                 ­                                      
  because I wasn't there by his side                                                             ­     
                                                           ­                                                           
we had drifted apart with time                                                             ­   
                                                             ­                                                           
but he was always on my mind                                                             ­                   
                                             ­                                                                 ­        
I was stubborn, I was proud,                                                           ­                   
                                             ­                                                                 ­
didn't say I was sorry out loud                                                             ­           
                                                                ­                                                
That was the pain I'd always have,                                                        
                                                                ­                                                    
after all, I still loved my dad                                                              ­        
                                                                ­                                                      
  I felt guilty for many years to come                                                             ­     
                                                           ­                                                   
  didn't want to face it, I'd rather run                                                          
                                                                ­                                                  
But in the end, it catches up to you                                                              ­                
                                                ­                                                                 ­ 
and when it does, it still rings true                                                             ­       
                                                                ­                                                      
I had to choose to forgive myself                                                           ­       
                                                         ­                                                           
or live a life writhing in hell                                                             ­       
                                                         ­                                                        
 I've come to grips with that pain                                                             ­                 
                                                                ­                                                         whenever I see my dad again,                                                           ­                                                                 ­                                                                 ­                                        
 I'll tell him that I was so wrong                                                            ­    
                                                                ­                                                      
I didn't know I didn't have long                                                             ­                                                                 ­                              
                                  ­                                                                 ­               
I have learned lessons along the way.                                                        
    ­                                                                 ­                                                 
  I tell my loved ones I care every day                                                          
   ­                                                                 ­                                                  
  I know I'm still my daddy's girl,                                                      
                                                                ­                                                  
that he's watching me from his world                                                            ­    
                                                            ­                                                          
I sense his presence time to time                                                             ­             
                                                                ­                                                  
  He tells me he is doing just fine                                                             ­         
                                                                ­                                                      
I know that he has forgiven me                                                              
­                                                                 ­                                                 
  and that knowledge sets me free
I wrote this when my dad died. I still miss him.
What words do you say to your only son,                                                             ­                                                                 ­                                                                 ­                                         
When he's going to jail on a ****** one?                                                             ­                                                                 ­                                        
Do you tell him to be brave & strong?                                                          ­    
                                                            ­                                                          
Do you confront him on being wrong?                                                           ­ 
                                                               ­                                                       
Do you hug him knowing his life is through?                                              
                                                                ­                                                      
Remind him of what he's done to you?                                                      
      ­                                                                 ­                                               
  Do you smile & put on a brave face,                                                   
                                                                ­                                                  
  knowing he'll spend life in a hellish
place?                                                        
                                                                ­                                                      
Do you promise to visit him frequently,                                                      ­      
                                                                ­                                                    
Knowing he'll serve his life lonely?                                                          ­                                                                 ­                                                                       ­                       
What do you say to your only son,                                                             ­   
                                                                 ­                                             
When you know he's guilty on a ****** one?                                          
                  ­                                                                 ­                               
Do you support him as best as you can?                                                          
                                                                ­                                                  
Do you tell him to be the better man?                                                          
  ­                                                                 ­                                               
Do you tell him to tell the whole truth?                                                           ­ 
                                                                ­                                              
Knowing exactly what it's going to do?                                              
                                                                ­                                                  
Do you blame him or blame yourself?                                                        ­                                                                 ­               
You didn't load the shotgun shells                                                           ­             
                                                                ­                                                  
Do you throw your hands in the air?                                                            
­                                                                 ­                                                 
Cry out to God in your despair?                                                         ­                 
                                               ­                                                                 ­  
Do you fall to your knees & pray?                                                          
                                                                ­                                                    
Do you let him find his own way?                                                             ­     
                                                                ­                                                        
Do you cry & break down
inside?                                                          ­            
                                                    ­                                                             
 Tell him there's no reason to
lie?                                                             ­         
                                                       ­                                                       
What do you tell your only son,                                                             ­               
                                                 ­                                                             
Whe­n he's going to die for a ****** one.
For all the relatives of those who are in prison & the pain of loving them helplessly.
Joshua Phelps Apr 15
i. descent

three years of
trial and tribulation

three years of
self-pity
and regret

i kept asking:
is there something
wrong with me?

am i my own
worst enemy?

am i my own
biggest threat?

three years ago,
i thought
i lost it all

a fall from grace
that put me
to the test.

ii. decision

i had
two options:



fail


or


try my best


to not be
a part of
the problem

to let the past
be the past

and
lay it all
to rest.

iii. healing

as the years
went by,

i learned
to break free

i learned
to forgive my
past

so the bad dreams
could finally
drift away

and i
can finally

be at peace,

at last.
a soft rebellion against who i used to be—
this poem is for the nights i almost gave up,
and the mornings i didn’t.
Ahmed Gamel Apr 14
I met a version of myself,
A past that lived in quiet hell,
His shoulders weighed with untold truths,
In his eyes, the ghosts of youth.

He stood, proud but lost inside,
A prisoner of dreams denied,
I knelt in shame, a ghost of me,
Torn between what was and could be.

"You know," I said, "you've been this way,
Caught in a cage where shadows play,
But let me tell you, now I see,
You're still inside of me, and free."

He smiled with pain, the truth untold,
"I never wanted this, you know—
This life of striving to please the blind,
The masks we wore, the thoughts we mined."

But in his eyes, I saw the change,
A flicker in the dark, so strange,
And I realized, as time flew past,
We'd both been caught, both built to last.

Now here I stand, no more a slave,
No longer bound to past’s dark wave,
I freed myself, and freed him too,
The shackles gone, the world anew.

And though the road remains unclear,
I hold his voice, I hold it near,
For in his steps, I see my own—
The strength I’ve sought, now fully grown.

The shame, the guilt, they start to fade,
Replaced by light, by love’s cascade,
And in that moment, I finally see,
That all I sought was always me.
This piece delves into the internal struggle of reconciling with past mistakes and the weight of self-imposed expectations. The conversation between present and past selves brings out the complexity of personal growth and the forgiveness needed to move forward. It's about understanding that even in the darkest moments, there's a path to healing—by embracing the truth, forgiving yourself, and realizing that growth is a journey, not an instantaneous transformation.
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