Forgive

Seek forgiveness
the wise man said.
Forgive.
Forget.
Let go.

Seek forgiveness?
the young man asked.
No, said the sage.
Seek to forgive,
and then you will find the Forgiving.

We carry the heaviness
in the pit of our bellies.
An ulcer murmurs,
rumbles,
and then ruptures.
We carry this heaviness,
hoping to heave it at the source;
and then to seek forgiveness,
but all we need
is to seek to forgive.

We need not Forget.
We need to Forgive.
And then, to
Let it go.

Can you forgive? the wise man tested.
No. Perhaps. Not I? thought the lad.
Forgive? said the man.
Yes, said the lad,
Forgive them, forget them, let it go.
Good, said the saint.
Not good, said the lad,
There's one yet to forgive
for the furor of life,
and he's
the one
who looks back
in the mirror.