Regrets

Regrets As a boy, I did not know you Of your existence I was unaware Life was just a game to be played Without a purpose, without a care. But as you do with all your children With love you watched me grow Through fads and fancies, dreams and depressions Awaiting the time to let me know. When I thought my life was ending, You seized your chance and in you came, You turned the end into a beginning And life would never be the same You never mentioned my selfish past, The many times I made you sad But you freed me from a hopeless course Took away all the worries I had You taught me how you sacrificed for us Something I had not been shown He gave his own life willingly All mankind’s sins to atone. And what were you asking back, but this That I appreciate your giving That I share what I knew with others too That they may go on living. This I did most eagerly Telling of the paradise you’ll bring. You took me in as one of yours Safe and secure under your wing. But the heart of man is inclined to bad This we all should know To leave the garden unattended Is to allow the weeds to grow. To pull them out by the root Is a must you can’t ignore You can’t just nip them in the bud They’ll soon spring up once more. I never wished to cause you pain To make your spirit grieve But the heart of man is desperate And so easy to deceive. After hurting one so powerful It’s a miracle that I still live, But perhaps the greatest power of all Is the power to forgive. A.Jarvis Oct 1994