Click here to hear the poet read his words:
memories
when I awaken
in the dead of night
I find
long-forgotten memories
softly slithering
through a crack in my consciousness…
sometimes they raise a smile
a warm feeling
for a happier time
a special person
a successful relationship
however fleeting…
but more frequently they cause pain
as I did
far too often
perhaps through indifference
or selfishness
more than malice
but nevertheless…
and then come the regrets
for things done
and not done
for love rejected
and love lost
for people once important
but not important enough…
and emotions stumble around
inside my aching head
and wretched heart
nostalgia and
sorrow
but mostly
and most deservedly
guilt
Excellent ! Naked and raw …. not dressed up.
Hi Linda, what a lovely surprise to see you here!
Sometimes it seems easier to just write the words…
One voice speaks here, but speaks for everyman and everywoman. The observations are acute and the poem beautiful. Sore and beautiful.
Thanks, Jenne.
I am glad, and sorry, that the poem reached you.
Forgiving ourselves is nearly impossible. An all too familiar haunting theme. You nailed it!
Thank you, Susan.
I agree that it is a painfully familiar refrain.