A Promethean Regret

I wish you could rewind a reel, play back

all the bitter bits; edit for clarity
all the lines misspoken; empty dialogue
that passed for meaningful conversation:

I wish we could take
back all the heart ache.

I would, if we could, skip the turned down pages,
erase the highlighted passages in red;
find another record, not so scratchy;
learn to bake a proper lasagna:

I wish we could take

back all the heart aches.

I wish we could have sailed our little sloop,

found Port Hope's sheltered harbor; come ashore

before Saint Elmo's fire burnt us down to

the timberline; packed an extra life preserver:
I wish I could turn back

all the turning tides.

What I wonder, had I never wandered,

strayed the course for want of new found pleasures;

if I'd stayed and struggled through the apathy,

made myself a bed of roses, thorns and all:

could we take back

all those damning heart aches.

Ken e Bujold

© 2022

Author's Note

slight change to 2nd line of 2nd verse, flipped original wording from passages highlighted, to current highlighted passages in red...feel it scans a tad better

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

I felt real regret here over stuff in the past Ken. You know my thoughts turned to my ex husband and you know I hope to God he has regrets from time to time, because he squandered us. Your lines here reminded me and sent me back some decades. A great read. You touched a nerve with this one.

Chris

[Ken e Bujold]

thank you for the very generous review Chris. Not autobiographical, but very observational of the truism of many good souls I have known through my travels through life. All too often, we don't recognize what we have until she/he has left.

ken e

[Ken e Bujold]

let me add, is autobiographical in one sense, I am human, so yes I have regrets, times when I would gladly rewind the reel as the opening line

[Kim S.]

Love this write, emotion is all over this write, honest and to the point.

learn to bake a proper lasagna: - for this is easy enough. I have been making this dish a long time.
Why can't people learn to make it right. It isn't all that hard to make.

Anyways I love your write, full of emotion.

[W. Barrett Munn]

I really like how you used line as emphasis, and the alliteration fits in smoothly like backup singers. A really nice piece.

Winston

[John the Baptist]

Whoever invents a life edit will make Elon Musk look like a pauper. Unfortunately, we must do this thing a day at a time, with only partial information available. I note you mention heart aches more than once. Those suckers can only be filed under learning, with the hope the lesson takes.

[Ken e Bujold]

not even certain some days that they can be filed at all John, thanks for stopping by

[JD Major]

...Oh, how I Wish it too, Ken!
In these word-pictures you've well-crafted,
you've again explained the human condition.
JD

[Ken e Bujold]

thank u JD. age kind of helps lend some perspective

[JD Major]

...all things considered, I still rather be wrinkle-free :)