for these things

for the friends I have wounded
for the enemies I have killed
for the children I have left unfed

for the love I've not given
for the grace I have withheld
for the kindnesses I've never said

for these there is no retribution
for these mercy's quality is strained
for these good graces have been put to test

for the heart I've left untended
for love abandoned in the wings
for curtains lowered on the actor's stage

for hands not held on dark nights
for songs kept in silenced storage
for longing dreams cut short in the morn

for these I'll do my pennance
for these, a soul may be dammed
for these your loving kindness never ends

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License