Apologies to Everyone
“Sorry” rolls off your tongue too easily
your mother must have said it plenty
herself since she was a little girl
and you simply inherit the propensity
along with her love for smooth jazz and her bee allergy.
You learned early to trade “sorry” for peace and safety,
a hail mary before things go too far,
the 5-letter word that may save you a trip to the ER;
if I didn’t know any better, “sorry” sounds almost
powerful.
But I’m sorry that you have to resort to “sorry”
when you mean to say something braver,
even if apologizing comes as naturally
to you as getting disappointed
or staying quiet or crying in the shower.
Oh, I’m sorry I’m making you feel guilty
now about always saying sorry
when you’ve done the absolute best you could
with the small, soft hands you were given.
I’m sorry, I’ll stop now. I’m sorry.
