Poetry by Nadia Gerassimenko: dolores forgives

dolores forgives

in english class they’ve taught you
to conjugate & then apply but,
never question or dissect—

how one whole word
can become two
can have a meaning
so far apart.

how word forgot / forget
becomes for got / for get.

how i forgot to love you
for i got your heart
& you’re mine
forever / for ever.

how i can’t forget
for i never got
back my heart
altogether / all together.

how word forgive / forgave / forgiven
becomes for give / for gave / for given.

forgive me
forgive me
forgive me
you cried wolf
always / all ways.

i forgive
i forgive
i forgive
not you, not ever
forever never.

i’ll give new meaning
to forgiving.

i forgive me
for the love hardly given
i forgive me
for the love i gave away freely
i forgive me
for all i still mistakenly give

& i give me
all i ever needed.

i’m all ready, already
beginning to forget.