After his previous poem,
'Smashing China Plates', my dear artist / photographer / poet friend John Englezos had written another beautiful poem called 'Forgiveness and Forgetfulness', which really touched my heart. Here goes:
Forgiveness and Forgetfulness are sitting, holding hands,
out on their verandah hearing songs of old jazz bands.
Forgiveness has lost all her teeth, Forgetfulness is blind.
Forgetfulness forgets the words, Forgiveness doesn't mind.
He only sees her youthful face from all those years ago
and even though he's lost his sighther touch he'll always know.
She asks "Do you recall past pains?"He answers "No I don't"
He turns and asks "And you my Love?"She smiles and says "I won't".
They weren't always this happy. This couple that you see
They once lived in a townhouse in a town called Misery.
He'd write, all night by candlelight, His face a solemn frown,
Recalling every single wrong and writing them all down.
She wasn't that much better,With her face a furrowed pout
All day long she'd wash her clothesher stains never came out.
Her head down and teeth gritted. Her deep cries left unheard.
His mind forever in the dark. He never spoke a word.
Both of them had wounded heartsone hard, the other broken.
Both together, yet apart. No words of grace were spoken.
Until one day the house caught fire. There was noone to blame.
They ran out and watched all they owned, get swallowed up in flame.
She lost all of her wardrobe all those clothes covered with stains.
He lost his precious journals full of all his precious pains.
So hand in hand they walked away, And left it all behind.
Her jaw unlocked, her teeth fell out!In daylight, he went blind!
Their new house is called Happy,it makes noises through the day,
The floorboards creak but they’d not have itany other way.
So if you asked what he once wrote. That he would not recall.
And if you ask her what she needs, She’d say “I have it all”.
He can't remember what they lost. She knows how much she has.
We watch them both sit back and smileand listen to old jazz.
Now Is that not the life you want. The story you’d be living?
The joy and peace that could be found, Forgetting and Forgiving…
“An Eye for eye and tooth for tooth”This worldly law is ruthless.
But Forgiveness and Forgetfulnessare quite happy… blind and toothless.
By John Englezos
