Rearview Mirror

He is always looking backward,

to see where he has been,

He never sees the beauty

that opens up before us;

the skies and birds and butterflies,

the trees and blossoms blooming.

 

He is the unacknowledged king

of "coulda, woulda, shoulda."

"Tomorrow,"  he says,

"tomorrow I'm gonna

spent time with my kids,

visit my Mother,

take my wife out for dinner.

Tomorrow."

 

Now his Mother is dead,

he was late for the funeral

He missed his daughter's graduations,

both high school and college.

He didn't make it to his son's send off

when he joined the Marines.

He wasn't "available"

when the military chaplin came,

with news no Mother wants to hear.

He made it to the cemetary

as the Flag was being folded

into a triangle package gift,

every Mother's nightmare.

 

His daughter moved to Paris,

didn't even invite him to the wedding;

his wife moved back

to her hometown in Maine.

Now he's all alone,

with only him to blame.

 

Still, he's looking backwards,

regretting all the past;

what might have been,

what could have been,

and why it never was.

 

Reviews

[Wondering Mind]

Great introduction and a perfect second stanza of a summary of the unfolding sad story of this hopeless fool. Sad but nicely penned

[Sweet_pale_cacophony]

Well that was me..in some ways..:)..i like how you have put forth the theme..if only resentment can be done away with..there are greater leaps and strides to unfold..
well written.

[An owl on the moon]

I loved the way you created this concept.. a life, a history that suffocates the day.. Powerful message for us all, if we will only listen to his mournful regrets..

[Deepshikha]

This strikes so true for me, especially in today's world, where it seems like the right wants to move into the 1950's and the left wants to go some fantasy land that can never exist.
Look forward, you say! And because of the way you've done it, I will listen.

[Marie Harrison]

So sad. Very touching poem. Enjoyed very much.