"Too err is human; to forgive, divine." - Alexander Pope
And yet—
there is a greater miracle
than the fracture.
A hand extended
not to strike
but to lift.
Forgiveness is not forgetfulness;
it remembers the wound
and chooses not to salt it.
It stands in the doorway of the past
and says,
You may not enter here again.
I have watched mercy
turn a room
from courtroom to kitchen.
Watched anger
unbutton its collar.
Watched two stubborn hearts
set down their armor
like farmers laying aside
their scythes at dusk.
To forgive
is to open the fist
without knowing
if it will be filled.
It is to say:
I see what you did.
I see what it cost.
And I choose
not to make you
pay twice.
There is something godlike
in restraint.
Something holy
in the decision
to break the chain
where it links through you.
We were built with hinges—
yes—
but also with doors.
And sometimes
divinity is nothing more
than this:
to open.
-
Author:
Matthew R. Callies (
Offline) - Published: February 20th, 2026 05:33
- Comment from author about the poem: Sequel to the poem I posted yesterday "To Err is Human"
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 7
- Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, Tristan Robert Lange
Offline)
Comments2
Simply beautiful the poem holds a dignity and grace that is divine. Human divinity that we all hold within us. The ability to forgive and thereby redeem ourselves from personal hell. It is not so much for the forgiven as for the forgiver and you have expressed it well in this wonderful verse. A most lovely write and a fave
Matthew, this balances theology and humanity without tipping into lecture. The imagery stays tangible, the tone stays grounded, and the closing gesture toward openness feels earned. It’s firm, vulnerable, and quietly radical. That restraint is what makes it powerful. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
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