John Anderson Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

"The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy." ~ Jim Rohn

'Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention
And more, and much more than this I did it my way.'  
~  from the song 'My Way'; written by Paul Anka specifically for Frank Sinatra.

Note: In really nothing could be further from the truth about Frank. He never stopped burning with regret over the end of his tempestuous marriage to Ava Gardner, and nursed terrible grudges against anyone who he believed had slighted him.

Listen to poem:

Regrets Beget Emotional Debt

My regrets lie hidden below the murky surface
of my emotional seascape,
threatening to pull me down,
like wet woollen wet weather gear
drowns a sailor who falls overboard in a storm.

For regrets are arcane debts never to be repaid.
For the done, cannot be unpicked re-done, nor undone,
and getting over it, needs an account transaction,
to balance the debt, with savings from the good times.

I seldom count my regrets, nor mention them in balance sheet.
For many are too painful to bear, even one at a time.
Going back, reliving the prologue, is a bitter aperitif
to the main course of 'What ifs' dished up with 'If Only' sauce.

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FJ Thomas May 6, 2018 at 12:56 PM Some regrets will never leave some; but we can try not giving it the time and space it attempts to steal when it resurfaces the mind :) Wonderful piece John.

Dean Wood May 2, 2018 at 10:32 AM 'What ifs' dished up with 'If Only' sauce. A great way to tie this one up John. I enjoyed this gem. -- Dean