Forgiveness by Joseph Albanese

Realization did not

set me free. I did

not let go, I could

not

            move on.

Indifference didn’t allow

me to sail the calm

seas of harmony’s motif.

It only intensified the

            recoil.

It returns to sender

daily in those quiet

corners of myself, sneaking

in through

            segue thoughts.

I won’t let it go,

nor am I able to. I can

only forgive myself

for never truly

            wanting to.

Joe Albanese is a writer from South Jersey. His work can be found in publications across the U.S. and in ten other countries. Joe is the author of Smash and Grab, Caina, For the Blood is the Life, and a poetry collection, Cocktails with a Dead Man.