A Blanket Apology

I don't do love

I know regret

having burned my way

through a distillery of tears.

I'd say sorry

if only

I could remember your names.

Sorry, I don't.

Even faces are con-jumbled

a composite of 

sketches inked in mist, 

some dark, some brighter

always on the tip of my thoughts

but never twisted into a language

you'd understand.

So, let's leave it there

at sorry...

I was such a sorry s**t.

Ken e Bujold

2022

Reviews

[Red Brick Keshner]

Painful, needful, hopeful and brazen apology in the face of an unapologetic admission and unembellished exposé of something very real. Very powerful.

[Ken e Bujold]

Yep that pretty much sums it up to a T Fred. Fun to write too. :)

[Blunt--Instrument]

Redemption is a b***h
A lifetime will yield many relationships, good and forgettable.
I related to this write.

Like

[Ken e Bujold]

glad you could Blunt. Thanks for stopping by

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

I feel a bit ashamed to admit but this poem is so relatable to me. I once dated a girl for several months in the 80s and kept forgetting her name. I would compensate by always calling her "Babe". Thank God the rock group Styx had a major hit at that time by the same name that it allowed me to get away with that pathetic excuse. What is sadder still is I can't remember her name even now. I'm such an a-hole no wonder I'm still single. I enjoyed this poem Ken and also feel a bit embarrassed I revealed so much because of it. But hey, that's what good art does. CLE

[Ken e Bujold]

nothing to be ashamed about Carlos, been there myself. Genesis of the poem was recent conversation where topic of partners came up, and a few peeps thought it odd that I couldn't remember names of some paramours, just their characteristics. Much of the 80s is still a blur for me lol

[John]

A heartfelt, humorous, wry apologia, mixing the dead formula of text speak interaction - I don't do love - with the sprightliness and invention of the creative mind - distillery of tears, tip of my thoughts. A good write, as the hit and run reader might comment. No, a great write.

[Ken e Bujold]

too kind John. I admire your keen eye. The first two lines were composed exactly as you suspected...a bit of a stick to the eye of the tweeters who condense sentiment to 40 characters. From there it runs pretty much as it reads, a wry apology, of oops sorry, but not so much to really give a fig if you accept it or not, life goes on

[W. Barrett Munn]

Amazing, Ken. I wrote a poem with very similar feelings expressed earlier this year, I think before you joined the site. Your poem is better. Mine, as was my wont at the time, a little too wordy.
Makes you wonder, though, are writers basically jerks when young?

Winston

[Ken e Bujold]

interesting question. I don't know that we necessarily are any worse than most guys at the age, but I do believe we are more inclined to use our regrets for inspiration, and if honest to express than accordingly, unlike most other dogs who continue to howl about their exploits until the day they are finally put down