Reparations

Some things never change
people are who they are
at their core
it is only now
past the mid-point of life
that we question
past actions
and hard consequence
wonder if paths chosen
led us too far astray
or to exactly where
we were meant to be
all along.

We ask those
we have hurt
for forgiveness
sometimes granted
often withheld
it is up to us
to put our demons
to final rest
like recalcitrant children
with tenderness
lest they rise
and consume
our souls.

Is it selfish
to ask another
to excuse
past transgressions?
One more instance
of taking
rather than giving?
An attempt to soothe
the raw ache
consuming our bones
knowing
we've done another
an injustice?

Best to absolve
exonerate the guilty
set us all free
to hold pain
overfills the vessel
perpetrator and victim
awash in the same
liquid shame
spill this sorrow
out into the world
let it become
a drop
in the vast ocean.