Burn the Past

I tried to build something that would last,

But the die had already been cast,

In hubris, I sought to challenge fate,

And in doing so did my future create.

*

Work harder each day, I told myself,

Enough effort will breed infinite wealth,

A love flourishing like the times of old,

The story’s end, reframed and retold.

*

I sought to revive a love long dead,

Realization filling my soul with dread,

Tending to a garden full of decay and rot,

A bleeding wound that would never clot.

*

There’s only one path forward now,

A single way to right my ship’s bow,

I must burn the past and close this book,

Release my soul from regret’s icy hook.

*

Start from scratch with an empty heart,

Eyes focused, feet steady as I depart,

Become friends with loneliness and pain,

Face the shadows lurking in my brain.

*

I wish I could forget your face,

Erase my failure, leave not a trace,

But growth blossoms from strife,

Such is the way of this lonely life.

*

The flames dance in my eyes,

A decade of lows and euphoric highs,

Crashing down and turned to ash,

Blink, and it’s gone in a flash.

*

What comes next is uncertainty,

I will try to face the future cheerfully,

Some good days, others bad,

Infinite possibilities to be had.