Forgiveness

[CircleWalker]

Hello,

This simple poem effectively conveys a message of self-acceptance, learning from mistakes, and embracing both present and past experiences. The structure is clear, and the repetition of the phrase "I forgive" emphasizes the theme without sounding gimmicky. And the spiritual/religious element adds a moral compass to the poem.
However, there are quite a few cliches in it: "I will not live in the past", "I will learn from my mistakes", "I will live in the moment", "He has shown me the way"... and some that are skirting very close to cliches, like the idea of "not being defined by one's past mistakes" and "embracing the journey taken". With such a pared down poem these aphoristic cliches really stand out—and not necessarily in a good way.
Also, consider refining some lines for smoother flow, like in the second stanza, where you could potentially experiment with variations to enhance rhythm—yet, it isn't terribly clunky, anyway, so do with that what you will.
Finally, with such a deliberately tight poem it's probably redundant to say you should "add" things, but maybe consider putting in some specific experiences that could make it less abstract, less aphoristic, and more personal—and it will give the cliches a softer landing, if you decide to keep them in.

Hope this helps. Thanks for sharing it.

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate what you have said, and I understand. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read it and analyze it.

What I will say in response is that I guess it comes down to "the purpose" of a poem, not poems in general, but each individual poem (at least in my opinion). This poem is declarative ... it is a mantra of sorts, and as such no ambiguity or vagueness or cleverness suits that purpose. It "needs" to be straightforward, it needs to flow off the tongue when read aloud or recited (I wanted it to be easy to memorize). I hope that it is something that anyone who is struggling with forgiveness (or has struggled in the past with it) can grasp a hold of. It emerged from my unconsciousness in my own struggles with forgiveness.

I completely understand. I hope my critique didn't come off as too harsh. And you are correct, the purpose of this poem is clarity. It's saying something straight. Clarity and affirmation. Which it does perfectly and succinctly—as I said the cliches aren't necessarily a good thing, but they aren't necessarily a bad thing, either. 
Maybe you could explore this idea of forgiveness in a future poem(s) and give a more personal take. It could make a nice sequel, in the romantic tradition.

I wanted you to know that I didn't think your critique was too harsh. Your comments caused me to think in a more critical way about my poem, and "forced" me to find words to explain its purpose. Being as that was my first poem submitted here, I was somewhat concerned about how I would feel when someone critiqued it. I am pleased to report that I was not as thin-skinned as I feared I might be. It appears that you are also a fairly new member, and I want to again thank you for commenting. I enjoyed discussing poetry with you.