Unforgiving

Un-for-giv-ing

[ˌən-fər-ˈgi-viŋ] adjective

Definition: having or making no allowance for error or weakness

As in: This town in winter

sharp with biting cold,

is un-for-giving.

Gnawing at our noses,

freezing our toes to numbness,

a test for every step,

until you can’t discern if you’re actually moving.

Making short work

of the unprepared.

As in: Yet my boys plead

for one more ride, then another,

down life’s winding slope,

transforming an un-for-giv-ing world,

adapting, growing tougher

in the chill we call home.

Teaching me the strength

to face storms, even as snow

trickles cold down my spine.

As in: When I was their age,

a stray snowball flew,

striking my stepfather's ear.

An accident in my mind, but

his demand for choice echoed –

belt or hand?

That day I learned

the harshness of un-for-giv-ing minds.

As in: Motherhood, like the final stretch

of a marathon,

unpredictably un-for-giv-ing.

Yet it teaches resilience,

asks us to linger in its challenge.

In its demand we discover

strength we never knew,

warmth that defies the cold.

Transforming the un-for-giv-ing

into a journey of growth and light.

"In the Quiet Moments" Series