Regret is a powerful sting.
…and it wears on the soul, breaking off bits,
like crumbling mortar.
But I can’t be that person, that thing:
a false expectation that inhabits,
your soul’s most desolate quarter.
I am sorry, but this is me,
and for what it’s worth it was fun.
…but pretence is too costly,
and I deserve the victories I’ve won.
For your loss I have no remedy,
I have a new world waiting out there for me.
Charl Landsberg is a South African poet, musician, artist, and human rights activist. Their work often explores relationships, love, loss, issues surrounding human and civil rights and a bit of fantasy and science fiction when the mood strikes.