A Grudge
Frances Carolyn McCanless
I held a grudge for a long, long time
which took up most of my mind
I thought about it both day and night
and plotted revenge for my plight
Oh, I didn't want to perform the dirty deed-
of hatred, malice, and greed
I tried to pawn it off on God
asking Him to strike with His rod
Praying the prayers of King David in the Psalm
Asking God to right my wrong
But my world became yet darker still
because I would not forgive the offender's ill
so I grew older each passing day
because I would not say
“I forgive you for what you did”
because I would not let go
I grew into a monster
no one wanted to know
So I fought and fought
to hang on to my rights
which brought me to a horrible plight
If I had only made a choice to forgive
then with this horror I would not have to live
But determining to right my wrong
I held on until I became -
uglier and uglier each growing day
I knew that the monster would only go away
the day that I would say -
“I forgive you for what you did”
then – and only then- could I really live