Poetry

Open Apology (Dearest Friend)

written by: OurSacredHonor

Dearest friend,
This is an open apology
For all the times I never
Said that I'm sorry
And if this comes as a surprise
Please believe
I mean this more than ever
Sincerely, Me

I've mistreated and misled
Now I can't sleep here in this bed
That I alone have made
Still the nights turn into days
No matter how tight my eyes are shut
I can't seem to open up
I am haunted by my choices
The consequences all have voices
As the seasons change and the air gets colder
They take turns sitting on my shoulder
Whispering not-so-sweet nothings in my ear
Until I'm overcome by doubt and fear
All because I tend to make things more difficult
By acting on the moment with no regard for the end result
Marching to the repercussions' cadence in my feet
Just when I think it might be over the drum major signals another repeat

Dearest friend,
This is an open apology
For all the times I never
Said that I'm sorry
And if this comes as a surprise
Please believe
I mean this more than ever
Sincerely, Me

I've been on many journeys and crossed countless paths
Many ships have faltered in the wake that I left aft
Shameless disregard for those in my vicinity
May have left some stranded in the waters out at sea
A passing that should have occurred, most uneventful
Turned like tides sending waves crashing into your hull
The choppy water was smiling, bearing white teeth, menacing and rough
Words like water you took on, and couldn't bail quickly enough
Swaying to and fro until the ship finally capsized
To this day I send messages in bottles, wondering if you're still alive
I haven't received a response back, no reply as of yet
But after how I acted I would not expect anything different
I've learned to be more cautious now when I am at the helm
My rudder steers more carefully so as not to overwhelm
A ship like yours that approaches to my port or starboard bow
If only currents were more favorable and my ship could find you now

Dearest friend,
This is an open apology
For all the times I never
Said that I'm sorry
And if this comes as a surprise
Please believe
I mean this more than ever
Sincerely, Me

What's worse than losing battles is in battles losing friends
Sometimes victory isn't all it was cracked up to have been
Territory is temporary until we're turned to dust
Only then is a resting place finalized, but by then one doesn't make much of a fuss
About living space or sharing it, or for that matter, anything at all
The dead seem to be quite content staying within their dirt walls
The living on the other hand, we are more prone to complain
We yell and scream, we get obscene and can be quite profane
To what ends do we argue though, to establish our dominance?
But any victory one might achieve is a mirage made by ignorance
We simply put our blinders on and run head long like a racing horse
But this isn't the derby, we need peripheral vision to clearly see the whole course
Life is not a direction nor is it a destination
Life is a story about the decisions that we will be making
The apparent path that follows us is the effect, but choice is the cause
Sometimes play feels like fast forward, just remember there's no rewind or pause

Dearest friend,
This is an open apology
For all the times I never
Said that I'm sorry
And if this comes as a surprise
Please believe
I mean this more than ever
Sincerely, Me

If I ever hurt you in any way
Or if you've ever taken offense
To my actions or the words I say
Taken in or out of context
I ask for your forgiveness
For all that is past tense
I'm sorry, I apologize
It was never my intent