I Do Not Forgive You

Somewhere along the way I was tricked.
Someone told me I must grant pardon
to those who do me harm
and I thought that must include you too.
You know who you are:
sons / brothers / doctors / friends /
wholly human
abusers who knew better
and violated me anyway.
Go get your redemptive arc somewhere else.
I do not forgive you
and that is okay.

That is healing --
holding the truth
and living anyway.
Loving myself
regardless
of you who will never be powerful enough
to be written as anything more than human in my story.

You do not deserve my absolution
take it up with your god.
Me and mine are good.
I owe you nothing
and I owe myself everything.