Let’s get down to brass tacks,
I can’t go back,
I can never return
to what once was.
The things I said
in anger and in flippant jest,
hang over your head.
Those raw nerves,
flare up,
and you see red
when you see me,
and I don’t blame you.
A rung bell emanates;
the sound is as free
as the air that carries it,
I can’t beat back
the soundwaves.
What I wouldn’t give
to have superhuman foresight,
to have unflappable thoughtfulness.
To leave fear itself cowering,
to see anger and ignorance
flee from me,
never to rear their ugly heads.
But I must live
with what I’ve done
and what I didn’t do.
I wish I could
take one measly step back,
but I’m not strong enough.