Jerry's 10 Commandments inspired a quick poem this morning On Yom Kippur Jill

[jill stockinger]

Dear Jerry and all my writing compadres,

This came into my head this morning, ruminating over what Jerry had written.

Of course, it is very one-sided and leaves out the actual love I do feel for both my parents-

but the words practically wrote themselves.

On Yom Kippur            by Jill  Stockinger

    

When my parents died,

I thought I’d finally be

free of their continuous

stream of accusations.

Foolish me.

 

Though long dead,

their shrill voices fill my head

 with their toxic negativity;

their caustic criticism

still corrodes my feelings

of happiness and self-worth.

 

Though it is Yom Kippur,

I do not forgive them.

They never forgave me.

 

Compounding my problem

is the guilt I feel for not being

strong enough or good enough

to forgive my parents,

adding my own shame to the

weight I carry of their blame.