Your Parenthetical Apologies (to the Red Shirts)

“I’m sorry (and I’ve bowed my head.)

I’m sorry (I was complicit in mass murder.)

I’m sorry (would you stop all this dramatic nonsense?)

I’m sorry I was very young (and didn’t care.)

I’m sorry (now I’m trying to change things, you see?)

I’m sorry (I’ve already said this an infinite amount of time already, would you stop coming at me?)”

Oh, your apologies, I can never
hear the end of it.

Thank you. So much. For your apologies. We really appreciate that. Thank you for being on the right side of history. You’ve changed and all can be redeemed. And we’ll never talk about that — ever again. Let us all forget.
You’re now right.

Is this what you want to hear
if those corpses cleansed from the Big Cleaning Day
could rise from their death?

Lowly lives wiped on streets at Ratchaprasong intersection,
a bright red field for you to shine on.
Your heroic redemption story.

If spirits could speak, you think this is what they would say?