Has Been

I am not a wise man
Indeed, I am a fool
Doomed to repeat mistakes of his past
Without learning

My brain aches as I watch and think (the glorious enemy of my sleep)
The ocean before me
There are ghosts on the waves
And the promises of young lovers in the sand
As well as my scorn and my hate
And perhaps some disdain
As the boardwalk bustles behind me
Brighton Beach to my left -
I don't understand Russian

I am not a wise man
But I am also no fool
I won't hold out my hand anymore
I think I'll just watch you drown