Forgiveness

Forgiveness

she saw an airplane.
four bombs falling
fire everywhere,
on her body, her arms,
her clothes burned off
by fire, her heart seared
shut with napalm.
the haunting question
following hospitalizations,
surgeries, chronic pain,
so much suffering,
why live but to find the
ultimate answer.
she called it forgiveness,
the greatest salve
for all pain and suffering,
a way to end all wars,
yet one of the most difficult
gifts to find and offer
in humility.

.

This poem was inspired by a segment from This I Believe on NPR.org where Kim Phuc, now 45, describes her experience of that bombing (when she was 9 years old) and its effect on her life. A very moving and powerful message.