REGRET

Selfishness is the death knell of many a relationship.

By Stanley Collymore

 

I took you for granted; never realising

how very much you mean to me or how empty

my life would be without you. I recklessly

played with your emotions unconcerned

about the harm it was doing or the

untold suffering that it would

cause you long-term.

 

Greedily, I took everything you ever offered me but

gave nothing back in return; because my selfishness

was in-born, and so I couldn’t see either the

value or significance of your gifts to me of love,

devotion and loyalty �" but most importantly

of all, yourself. Until, that is, my uncaring

attitude forced you to rethink the sense

and purpose of what you were doing on my behalf;

and whether or not a relationship that for you

had become a minefield fraught with unseen

dangers was really worth carrying on.

 

Or if the time had finally come for you to call it a day

and safely walk away to look for greener pastures

where you could start a new and not so

complicated life on your own. Alas, for me, with

great resilience and resource you wisely chose

the latter course, given what little there was

from me either to start with or choose

from. But with you gone - leaving me all

alone with only memories of you - I wish

with all my heart that I’d been different; and in

belatedly saying how very sorry I am for all I’ve

put you through persuade you, even now, to

reconsider your decision and relent -

and hopefully return to me, as

I would like you to.

 

© Stanley V. Collymore

10 December 1997.