Sorry Doesn’t Always Make Everything Okay

How do I explain

that sorry

doesn’t make everything okay?

They hurt me deeply

sometimes knowingly,

sometimes without realizing it.

I feel the sting,

the ache,

the damage.

Then suddenly,

the word sorry comes into play.

They speak it

and feel relief,

while I am left

trying to loosen my grip

on the pain they handed me.

And I do accept it.

They seem sincere.

Repentant.

I believe they are.

I forgive.

But why is forgetting

so much harder?

Because my memory

is not defective.

That is why

things are not the same.

There is no hatred.

No anger.

No malice.

Just one thing missing.

TRUST 

Then the questions begin to float:

Will they do this again?

Will I be foolish enough to let them?

The offense can be small

or devastating,

but my response is always measured

by how much trust,

faith,

and loyalty

remain afterward.

How do I explain

that sorry

doesn’t always make everything okay?

People use sorry

like a 911 call

an emergency response

to damage already done.

They say it out of politeness.

Out of guilt.

Out of obligation.

Sometimes it comes from the heart.

Sometimes it sounds rehearsed,

like a line memorized long ago.

And somehow,

you can feel the difference.

But even then,

sorry alone

does not mend what was broken.

It should come with changed actions.

With honesty.

With a heart that truly understands

what it destroyed.

How do I explain

that sorry

doesn’t always make everything okay?

It doesn’t.

But perhaps

it is the first stone laid

on the road toward repair.