Frank Cavano tells us he "wrote Forgive Me while reflecting on some of the errors I recalled having made during the course of my life as well as the missed opportunities to be kind. In asking for forgiveness in this poem I am also stating that I have forgiven all those whose errors seemed to have some effect on me." The formatting was difficult and you will find the download PDF easier on the eye.
Bio: Frank Cavano, a retired psychiatrist, writes poetry when moved by his own life experiences or by those of his patients. You may reach him at: frankcavanoAThargray.com .
Forgive Me
If I stared too long
At ripples and waves
And failed to look beneath
To find that
You were both Stream
And Ocean-
Forgive me.
If in your face I found
Not pleasure enough
Or in your silhouette
Too little to stir the male of me
And failed to look beyond the skin
To find your soul-
A loving hearth by which
I should have tempered
My cold, cold heart-
Forgive me, please.
If I saw not in your apparent cruelty
The eyes of fear
And the lance of pain
And judged you without mercy
As if I, myself, were somehow free
Of those twin, piercing demons-
Forgive me.
And if, in my own distress,
I launched a barrage of anger
Causing you to wince or weep
As guilt's ghostly garland
Was taken from my shoulders
And draped about your innocent neck-
Forgive me.
In error, have I asked the brilliance
Of the sun
To take my vision
In error, have I asked the whistling
Of the wind
To hide your perfect Song
Behind its sibilant notes.
In error, have I made of myself
A judge without eyes-
A judge without ears.
Forgive me.
Forgive me.
Then, looking to eternity, eternity-
I will forgive you-
You will forgive me.
Day after day, we shall both forgive
Until, at last, we dare remember
We Are as One in the Ocean of God.
This is based on ACIM (A Course in Miracles), a book which sees forgiveness as our main function in our earthly lives. It defines forgiveness as a looking past error (ours or others) toward our true identity as spirit. Any behavior or thought which is not an expression of Love is a call for that Love.
Bio: Frank Cavano, a retired psychiatrist, writes poetry when moved by his own life experiences or by those of his patients. His poems and short stories speak to what he has learned about the healing process. They emphasize the importance of being there for those who are hurting, the importance of non-judgmental listening and the key role the Spirit can play in healing.