It’s the most you could say, and the least you could do.

There are no words.

Sorry.

That is a word, and an appropriate one. But other than that, no.

None.

There are no words to express the depth of my remorse and introspection upon understanding that my behavior and/or bearing causes, or once caused, a level of distress that endures beyond the uncomfortable moment, takes unfair advantage of my demographic gifts, diminishes someone’s self-worth, stamps out a dream, chokes off a career, makes my least attractive physical or personality trait the hero of terrible dreams, suppresses a culture of mutual respect, pisses off scores of people who can relate to or otherwise sympathize with the victim (especially Gloria Allred), looks bad in print and worse in BuzzFeed headlines, ruins once-loved movies, degrades an entire industry and all potted trees, confuses who we are with who we pretend to be, bends history’s arrow off the mark of justice, seeds a hashtag, feeds a meme, and/or compromises our national security.

I may be wholly or partly responsible for the aforementioned, and for that, there are no words. No words but these:

Sorry. Really, I am. Unequivocally. I mean it.

What motivates someone to do or be such a thing? I am in no position to explain, as these allegations indicate a perpetrator indifferent to truth and oblivious to consequences. If they are true, and if that is me, I can only offer these words:

Super sorry.

My apologies — yes, plural — go out to the victim. And to his/her loved one(s), please accept the sincerest condolences (if that pertains) my heart can muster, tainted as it may be. My heart, that is. The apologies are not tainted, nor are the condolences. (Again, if that pertains.)

But if all parties are still living —i.e., living with pain — then there are no words other than “sorry.” Plus a bunch of modifiers that intensify and contextualize that word. It is the operative word for the way I feel. Not that my feelings matter. Only yours do. You are tormented, and for that I am more than sorry. I am, like, soooooooooooo sorry.

That word before “sorry” is not an actual word. It is an expression based on a word, meant to add something to another word. I have resorted to this non-word because, as I have stated before, there are no words.

Words like “I will neither confirm nor deny these allegations” may be uttered, but these are not the important words. These are perfunctory words that merely suggest that any reasonable person (which I can only pretend to be, if in fact I am not) would appreciate that either response will only exacerbate the victim’s suffering and inflame the sociopolitical tensions that surfaced these allegations in the first place.

These words do not ask you to exonerate me. Only to acknowledge that to confirm the accuser’s stories would give proof to the behavior and/or bearing described, which in turn would make it more intensely palpable for more people — like this is really a thing that is happening in the world­. And who wants that? Am I right? If not, sorry.

To deny, well, that would suggest the accuser is lying, which is not a nice thing to do to someone in his/her emotional condition. Maybe the stories are the product of an unhappy childhood, or mental illness, or the actions of a nefarious individual that I resemble in some way. Or maybe these stories are true in the most concrete way, but they misrepresent the intentions behind my hand placement, pelvic enthusiasm, spontaneous shower, sudden inability to tie a robe, engorged charisma, professional leverage, distended expression, unsolicited excretion, and/or relationship with the President. Or maybe the denial is a lie — or would be, if I were to deny — which would make me a liar who lies about liars. You see how confusing that could get.

I am conjecturing, sure, but definitely not retracting the word for which there are no words.

This is not the time to describe thoughts or articulate reasons. This is the time to speak out against all wrongs and in defense of all rights. To stand up for all victims and against all offenders — including me, if in fact I am an offender. And to do so without words, because there are no words. Except for this one:

Sorry.

That, and whatever words lend it more gravity.

Otherwise, no words.