Editor’s note: This group poem was written at a writing workshop in Mazar where each participant contributed lines.

All things need to love, to forgive
because life without love
will not be lived. Love is a kind of food,
like no other.
No one can live in our nature
without love and forgiveness.

On a dark day, in that moment
when our lives are unlovely
and we are sad—
Love and Forgiveness
come to us

and say, Hey, hey! We’ve come
to help you, make you strong.
You will be beautiful
and complete with us.
We’ll see clearly that day.
Ahh, the arrival
of love and forgiveness.

Forgiveness can erase
a sadness, make
life beautiful —everyone
loves to be happy.
And real love makes
us happy. If we want,
we can find real love—
the love of our mothers, our books,
our country.
Without forgiveness,
We will never succeed.

With forgiveness,
comfort will arrive
at the main point of our lives,
with meaning.
If we forgive someone a mistake
that person will love and forgive us.
Life is so short
When we lose someone we know the
power of love and forgiveness.

I know the power of love.
For love, we will
sacrifice and forgive
with a tender word.
Your forgiveness returns
to you like a calmness.

Forgiveness is more beautiful than love.
With love, we can live in comfort, but
without forgiveness it has no meaning.

Please come, my dear.
Forgive all people
So, we can become
immortal like famous people.

Forgiveness is the beautiful element
Of friendship.

Love and forgiveness bring confidence,
power, comfort.
With a small smile we can
forgive a big mistake
and bring peace and laughter,
happiness and pride.

Love and forgiveness, the
two most beautiful words.

By the Mazar Writers
Farida, Hawa, Maryam, Nilofar, Zarif, Nekbakht, Suhaila, and Friba

This work was sponsored by the Fetzer Institute.