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CouldaShoulda

She sits on a stool
in the middle   of a yesterday room
   eyes   squeezed shut
as her phantoms   circle ‘round
circle ‘round   'n 'round

their hollowed voices   chant an endless
   why?  why did you…?  whydidyou??
   mantra|mantra_ing
from all that   hard mined deep time
from days   long-ago-past   yet-not
those never-really-past days of ago.

their discordant chords   siphoned
   from yesterdays'   poor performance
   those depths of times   behind her, yet-not,
   those never-really-locked   loosely keyed doors
from all that   of the 'whatever' she
   stuffed   behind   closed doors.

Her eyes   with dead-ended sight   fused shut
   for she   cannot   force   them   open     
   for she   cannot bear   
to see the tragic
   sweet lives   randomly
pieced apart
   strewn crazily
at her feet…

all that   of all the what
   of those shoulda-beens
all that
   what-coulda-shoulda-mighta-been
but wasn't.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2023




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