Whose discomfort?

a poem

Photo by Aləx Buchan on Unsplash

People who center their own emotions,
of shame, of despair, of guilt, of anger, of depression,
when they are the ones who have harmed you
are not truly apologizing with the intention to change.

They are adding to your burden
for asking them to consider behaving differently,
and costing you emotional labour
to soothe…