And what of forgiveness—
that which we all beg for
yet rarely want to give.
With the flame of rationalization,
we light our self-anointed candles
and fall to our skinned-up knees
in feigned penitence
to plead with whatever god
we think most lenient.
Then we leave the shadows
of the confessional, careful
to watch for whoever enters next
so we can pass judgment
and dismiss our own guilt.
Our horse is always higher—
the Trojan filled with hypocrisy
used to penetrate the secrets
of those we want to punish,
those we want to see burn
in the fire of self-righteous indignation.
Shame and shame and shame again
we spit and scream and cry,
always with our eyes closed
so we don't catch a glimpse
of our own demons in the mirror.
And of what of forgiveness—
that which we all beg for
yet rarely want to give.
Why do we wield so many stones
when none of us are without sin?
Bio:
Lisa Lerma Weber lives in San Diego, CA. Her words and photography have appeared online and in print. She is a junior editor for Versification. Follow her on Twitter @LisaLermaWeber