During the Jewish time of forgiveness, I read Patrice Vecchione's book Revenge or Forgiveness; an anthology of poems. It includes poetry from Shakespeare to Walt Whitman to the Library's own Victor Henry. It has poems about topics in the news - war, terrorism, the death penalty, and abuse, as well as poems about interactions between friends and lovers. One of my favorites is "First Memory" by Louise Gluck.
Long ago, I was wounded. I lived
to revenge myself
against my father, not
for what he was --
for what I was; from the beginning of time,
in childhood, I thought
that pain meant
I was not loved.
It meant I loved.