what if forgiving was easy?
what if
overcoming heartache was as simple as
a long nap,
a float on a pond,
a few tears at sunset?

would I
still cling to the ragged memory,
refuse to sleep,
stay on the shore,
swallow and hold my tears?

would I
believe that pain proves a loyalty
no one demanded
gripping the bars on the window
and ignoring the butterfly
that brushes my arm
as it slips out

through the open doorway?

Posted by kind permission of the poet.