Anger Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

Anger clears your head.
It freezes you in its heat.
And focuses you first
On the one who wronged you,
Magnifying the injustice
You believe was done you.

And if you let it,
It will burn through your heart,
Consuming the love and trust
That you had watered and pruned,
Guiding the vines toward life-giving light,
Leaving you with nothing but smoke and ash.

And if you act on the flash of your rage,
You may set a relationship ablaze,
Forcing someone you love to escape
By extinguishing the love they once felt for you.

But if you can sit in your own white heat
For as long as it takes for the fog of umbrage to lift,
You may receive the gift of self-perception
And with it the strength to give in and forgive.

Let the memories of the best times
Put out the resentments of the present.

Let the awareness of your own missteps
Temper your condemnation of theirs.

Let the dread of a future without this person in it
Overawe your temporary desire for a fight.

And maybe the conflict that could have ended everything
Will lead you to an epiphany and leave them wondering
At the mystery of your unexpected serenity.