In the face
Of a false one
Can you summon
Your dignity

Is there grace
In your heart
Love for your captor
Forgiveness
In your future

We cannot forgive
Without resentment
This is the hardest part

To forgive and not forget
I must cross
An ocean of anger
The mirror of truth
Stare deeply at its ugliness
So that I know
The why and how

And my role

In this state I
Gather intelligence
Validating pain
Learning

Then moving forward
I am educated

But my pain is not an excuse
To be petulant and cruel

It is my duty to love
To work
And
Work hard at being kind

In this grotesquely
Indulgent time
With
Fewer and fewer
Adults
Am I noble?
Am I Dorian Gray?

With all my blunderings
Worn proudly
I will still
Try to do
Whats right

I will fail
And I will try again
To be good

Will you?

Not everything is a shade of grey.