As We Forgive Those

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As We Forgive Those (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)

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The Poem

“As We Forgive Those,” a relatively short poem in free verse, is divided into four stanzas of unequal length and makes use of a natural, almost colloquial, tone to examine rather weighty theological issues. The poem’s title is drawn from the Lord’s Prayer, widely used in Protestant Christianity, and suggests the struggle of the poet to reconcile his understanding of that prayer, especially its admonitions concerning forgiveness, with his own family experience.

The bulk of Pankey’s verse—collected in For the New Year (1984), Heartwood...

[The entire page is 1539 words long]

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