people aren’t perfect
and friends aren’t always
what you imagine them to be
you can have your expectations,
build human beings out of concepts —
but they’ll never fit the mold
because you know it, you fucking know it
people aren’t perfect
they’re frail
and they’re flawed
and they do shitty things
when no one’s looking —
we’re all children in that way…
errors abound in the sentient beast
so what are we to do?
it’s the tragic, disfiguring wounds of time
that make people become themselves —
and it’s this failure to live up to our own standards
that makes such an unforgiving view of others
so common to us all
hate people if you must,
hate yourself too,
but that won’t get you anywhere…
though it takes incalculable strength,
it can be worth it to see the broken people
and love them anyway —
see your broken self
and carry on anyway
Garbage Notes:
This poem is about forgiveness. Coming to terms with your own imperfections. And being patient and bestowing grace upon others as well.
I think sometimes we hold our loved ones to too high a standard—when it comes to friendship, when it comes to companionship, and even when it comes to love. We’re all a little messed up. No one’s perfect. And for some reason or another, we all have something a little broken inside us.
The poem is a reminder to be kind. It might take more strength to love an imperfect person than it does to be annoyed or dismissive of them. But if we can find it in ourselves to give people a chance, even in dark times, it can make all the difference.
I remember writing this at a time where I was being particularly hard on myself. Bad decisions, shitty outcomes—you know the deal. But self-hatred and regret wasn’t getting me anywhere.
I found myself carrying that frustration over into my social interactions. I guess it’s true that the things you hate about other people tend to be the exact things you hate about yourself.
So, as with everything, I sought refuge in writing and introspection. And in this piece I came to the realization that it’s okay to love yourself despite the disappointments and failures. And, in turn, it’s okay to find it in your heart to forgive those same faults in those around you.
Franco Amati 2023
Just beautiful. This is what I needed to read tonight. Thank you.
Such meaningful words in this age of political divisiveness and hatred.