Forgive

Though at times you will be the only one to know you eventually did

Forgive

And keep in mind that it means offering the sign of peace

And need not be more

Make Peace

It need not be a bridge built from tearing yourself apart

Make them whole, you need not

Just as it is yours alone, so too shall it be the next man’s job to build themselves from the ground up.

*

If forgiveness be for the sake of ukuthelelana kwamanzi,

Remember still,

You could never pour from an empty cup

So steadily, replenish

Pour slowly

Bask softly

Stroll easy

You’re stepping into new terrain

Say hello to the sun

Let the old friend cup your gentle face in her warm hands

Bask in this foreign land

Let it welcome you back

From where companionship had grown so cold

No one knows your name yet,

Twirl in the gentle showers of uncertainty for once

*

Forgive,

Give thanks for the rebirth.

Although the old congregation will not be there once more to bear witness

To what grows anew inside of you

You owe no one to give hastily

You owe no one to give anything at all

* * *

Forgive,

As a farewell gift,

God Speed

As we unwrap our new maps at the distributary

A new union dances on the horizon tonight

To the tunes of harmony awakening

Listen carefully, and in the distance you may find,

That you’re a step closer to the home within