Seeking Absolution.

 

This poem reads as a confessional elegy—a blend of grief, guilt, and spiritual longing after a separation or loss.

Title: “Seeking Absolution”

Absolution is forgiveness, specifically in a religious sense. From the outset, the speaker frames their pain not just as loss, but as something they feel morally or spiritually responsible for. This suggests regret, self-blame, or remorse.

“(A lone voice whispers)”

The whisper signals intimacy, shame, and isolation. Confessions are whispered, not proclaimed. The speaker is alone with their conscience.

“Sometimes the rhymes cry for you to return and join our choir, but now we sing alone.”

The “rhymes” represent thoughts, memories, or even poems themselves. They want the lost person to return.

A “choir” implies harmony, unity, and shared purpose—once plural, now singular. The absence has fractured something communal or intimate.

“Singing from our hymn sheet. / The Song of the Broken.”

A hymn sheet suggests something once sacred or shared. Now the only song left is one of damage and sorrow. The speaker isn’t improvising joy; they’re repeating pain.

“About you.”

This abrupt line isolates the cause of the suffering. Everything—song, prayer, guilt—centers on this one person.

“Oh, Lord. Forgive me. / For I have sinned.”

This is a direct confession. The speaker believes they have done wrong—possibly causing the rupture, the loss, or the pain. The repetition reinforces sincerity and desperation.

“Oh, Lord Almighty. / Forgive me.”

Invoking God’s power emphasizes how heavy the guilt feels. Human forgiveness may no longer be possible, so the speaker turns upward.

“Amen.”

The prayer ends formally, as if sealing the confession. But “Amen” also implies acceptance—that the speaker may never receive the forgiveness they seek, yet must still ask.

The poem explores grief mixed with guilt. The speaker mourns someone who is gone—emotionally or physically—but unlike simple loss, this absence is haunted by self-blame. The religious imagery suggests the pain has crossed into the spiritual realm, where the speaker feels unworthy, broken, and in need of absolution.

It’s not just about missing someone.

It’s about believing you are the reason they’re gone.

Title.

Seeking Absolution. 

(A lone voice whispers)

Sometimes the rhymes cry for you to return and join our choir, but now we sing alone.

Singing from our hymn sheet.

The Song of the Broken.

About you.

Oh, Lord. Forgive me.

For I have sinned.

For I have sinned.

Oh, Lord Almighty.

Forgive me.

Amen.

(C) Copyright John Duffy 

Image shared under fair usage policy.