by Linda Ann Nickerson

Created on: April 21, 2008

ON-GUARD DIEHARD
(Limericks Homegrown for Hearts of Stone)

Forgetting is an order tall
When memories, unexpected, call.
Grudge distressing,
Old hurt pressing,
Sends us whirling in free-fall.

A tragedy from days gone by
May cause a fragile soul to fry.
Secret keeper,
Ever deeper,
Bitter roots won't satisfy.

Colors blend and edges fade,
As healthy foci are decayed.
Till we forgive,
We barely live,
Afraid to trip an old grenade.

And so we forfeit our repose,
As inwardly we decompose,
Preferring wrath,
The aftermath,
An undertone that overflows.

If we can learn to just let go,
Escaping from the undertow,
The tide will shift,
With mercy swift,
As we let go of quid pro quo.

NOTE: Although the limerick, as a poetic form, is generally employed in humorous verse, the structure has been intentionally used here for added emphasis.

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