when you let someone hold your hand and they drag you down to the depths/i regret you

i'm sorry to say, 

i thought it was my fault

i thought trusting you and loving you,

only to be betrayed, was a flaw on my part

and so i regretted myself, but

after burning your letters to ashes in my firepit,

teary-eyed and heart aching,

i can say with certainty that

in all its entirety,

i regret you 

I've hit a block with poetry and I'm not sure how much I like this- it's certainly not how I'd like it to be- but it's something.  

8/01/20

where you are concerned i have many regrets

i see your hands, lovely and soft and smelling like strawberries, hands i held once

and i see your face, and i remember when it was streaked with tears

i am sorry for the history i have written within you

i miss our sunsets on grassy hills and 

days under a neverending sky of forget-me-not

and the times i shattered you, with my words that fell uninvited into your ears and hurt them

yes, i regret, and i hope i plague you no more

but i still see through the haze of the hate i created, and i see

ice cream cones and stray pieces of popcorn and rain-soaked hair and you, lovely and true and so much more than i could ever begin to fathom

and i know, i know

i do not regret you

i shouldn't have trusted you

it's all my fault i should have seen it coming, should have realized how you didn't seem to care about me, how you always put yourself first, how you didn't ask what i thought

i shouldn't have trusted you

they tried to warn me and i didn't listen, i was drawn in by your too too sweet smile, your shining eyes, the way you stroked the back of my neck with your hand

i shouldn't have trusted you

i thought i was safe but i wasn't, thought you loved me but you didn't, thought we were meant to be but we weren't

i shouldn't have trusted you

if i'd realized what was going on i could have left before you betrayed me, i should have realized, how did i not realize? what's wrong with me??

i shouldn't have trusted you

it's

all

my

fault

--

I wrote this poem totally on the spot, in the comment box, as I do when I have no idea what to write. So it's probably not the best, but at least it's something.

And . . . I'm judging! It was definitely hard, but I ended up going with my original choices.

Honorable mention: Bakerloo!

I love the freeness of it, and the individuality. When I think of regret, I don’t think of a picture, but your poem implies regret in every way. A picture that you won’t throw away, but, as you said, you don’t want to look at. While the poem is short, and does not once mention the word regret or longing, I can imagine someone dusting off a photograph, avoiding glancing at it, eyes welling up with tears with longing of old times.

The only reason I don’t put you higher is probably just because of personal preference. While I do love this poem, it lacks the rhythm and repetitiveness that is often associated with poetry, and that I personally like. I had to read your poem a few times before beginning to fully appreciate it.

3rd place: Luna - Starr!

Your poem is melancholy, but fully real. Though it ends on a hopeful note, the poem speaks of past arguments and anger and sadness. It evokes emotion in the reader. I love it so much, like I love all the other poems. I wish I could put you all in first place. Your poem uses line breaks and description, using all of the senses, to conjure feeling. You weaved a work of art that is powerful. 

When I first read your poem, I did not like it as much. I think that happens to me with all poems, actually. But now I love it. You are a master.

Your poem is barely third place. You are just behind the others. I love all your poems, really, and I hope my judging won’t hurt any feelings. But trust me, it was a close call.

2nd place: Summer!

I love the rhyme scheme, how your words make sense and fit together, and are poetic, and still manage to rhyme. I can never manage to do that.

Sheltered me from the light is an unusual phrase, but I actually really like it. I like how it’s not the regrets of doing something that you write about, but the regrets of not doing anything. It’s very realistic. It’s also very poetic at the same time, with interesting similes and metaphors. 

In all it is a really good poem, and I can tell you are a really good writer just from reading this poem.

1st place: Jaybells!

Your poem is so good! I love the choppy line brakes and dramatic feel. I especially love the lines i. As the world / comes crashing / Down, / You wonder what / you / Could have done; / ii. If you hadn’t left. The lines leave you with a sense of horror and destruction, but also a strong feeling of regret. I also really like the roman numerals. I think they really add to the poem. 

When I thought of the theme regret, I thought of sad poems. But I really like your almost angry take on it. The regret shines through, but so does anger. Which is good, because regret is definitely an angry thing.

I hope no one’s feelings are hurt because of my choices, and I can’t wait to write more poems with you! 

Oh, thank you so much! Everyone did great, I look forward to all of your entries in the next round! The next round's theme will be... Warmth. Good luck, and interpret it however you wish; the due date is in two weeks, the 22nd, and I will judge the following day.~

warmth

warm like a scarf wrapped tight around you when the snowflakes

fall 

to the ground without a sound

warm

warm like a fire

embers flitting around 

flying on a cold breeze and fading

warm 

warm like a hug

in the freezing cold it was not my body that you warmed, 

but my heart

as the snowflakes around us 

fell 

when it was cold,

we were warm