Regret

In those halcyon years When we were very young, We were not troubled, not at all. We were clueless, Without much care. We didn't know, Were not aware, CouId not recall, no, not at all. Then as knowledge came creeping in, We realized we couldn't win. It was all a brutal game, We shared our loneliness and pain: Quick to anger, quick to shame. And those hurtful nights alone; Nights we'd run away from home, Or times we would break down and cry; Perhaps contemplate our suicide, Thought how wonderful death might be. Yet, when parents We became, Knew what we missed, Forgot the shame, Sought the bliss, Thought the future might exist. And our blithe delays, Our carefree days, Those youthful ways In those early years, Oh, how fast they fly. Those decades past I can't forget, But most of those feelings I reject; Perhaps a form of grave respect For our elders' years. Yet, I do have one regret: That I, could not, those days, realize I would see the value in our lives; Not, that we all were born to die, But, how and when, we say goodbye.