Half-Hearted Forgiveness

I offered you mercy on a tattered old plate,

But it weighed down my heart, mixed with anger and hate.

An empty chair sits where understanding should be,

Each second of silence, a burden to me.

You wore your hurt like a badge of disdain,

While I stitched up my wounds, trying hard to refrain.

In moments of honesty, the truth feels like chains,

And mercy becomes just another name for pain.