Forgiveness

[blackdogwhitecarpet]

Forgiveness


Forgiveness is the difficultest state
of mind to enter with sincerity—
but none's more needful, dissipating hate:
contrition's naught, forgiveness verity.
Apology can help:  it soothes a sting
of felt injustice, disrespect perceived—
but begging for indulgence cannot bring
release, unless forgiveness is received.
Still harder is a case where some will not
apologize because they stand accused
of what their grandsires did, or their race wrought,
who rightly feel their present selves abused.
But there, relenting's trouble isn't lack
of true confession, but that letting go
of vengeful motivations for attack
would leave a void—snuff out a warming glow.
And this is why forgiveness benefits
not each recipient but its free donor
whose soul it liberates from ancient writs
to daily live in unforced peace and honor.

The tone is so grave in this. I'm not sure if it could be described as midcentury, but it seems so...stuffy, and for me, that flattens the writing. 
The last couple of lines seem to intimate that the "free donor" of forgiveness will find peace despite the reluctance of an apologizer. This gets really tricky when race is so clearly implicated... I'm reading that POCs should forgive oppressive actions/structures in order to "live in unforced peace and honor" and that's problematic partially because I'm not sure what that actually means, and partially because forgiveness can be a performative gesture that becomes more about relieving the guilt of the wrongdoer rather than serving as a conduit for discussion/learning. 
Clarity and frankness, rather than fancy wordplay, might be more useful for getting at an idea of forgiveness. I actually really love the use of "difficultest" b/c it underscores the absurdness of the difficulty in forgiving, and further just feels fresh. 

You should check out Citizen by Claudia Rankine if you haven't! She writes in a way that effortlessly discusses ideas about racial aggression, interracial relationships (friendly and otherwise), and shared histories. The language isn't haughty or overly cerebral but isn't frivolous either.