2026

12 x 16in

Paper collage mounted on watercolor paper

The En Passant chess move can be seen as a metaphor for forgiveness because it is a move built on vulnerability and delayed consequence. In chess, a pawn attempts to bypass confrontation by advancing quickly, and for a brief moment the opposing pawn appears to allow it to pass. But the capture still comes afterward. Sideways, subtle, almost ghostlike. In the same way, forgiveness can look like allowing someone to move forward after harm has been done, choosing not to retaliate in the moment while still acknowledging the wound that remains.

The tragedy of en passant is that the pawn making the capture must leave its original position to do it, exposing itself in the process. That mirrors the hidden cost of forgiveness: the forgiver may gain peace or moral clarity, but loses something too. Trust, innocence, emotional safety, or stability. The offender continues forward, while the one who forgives carries the weight of what happened. In that sense, forgiveness is not always a victory; sometimes it is accepting personal vulnerability so resentment does not become permanent.