When you can't let it go

As the crow flies,
it's not that far
from here to there
from me to you
from war to peace
but forgiveness --
that's a chasm
few would dare to cross
and so we go the long way round,
picking our way through the rubbish;
crows on a city dump,
plucking and remembering
cawing and cackling:
"Keep this one,"
"Don't let go of that one,"
and when the ugliness sparkles like a prize
we savor the offense,
tossing gossip like seeds into the wind.


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