Don’t Mourn the Past

Should you mourn the past?  
To lament for what might have been. 
Remembering the pathways unpursued.  
The could’ve, would’ve, and should’ve of life’s potentialities. 
Piecing together the riddles of before.  
Unsolvable they remain, puzzles unexplored.  

What do you see when you look back?  
Lost opportunities you’ll never have again.  
Despairing over what might have been.  
A step here and there on unknown paths. 
Each revealed over the span of time. 
Dreaming of possible futures.  

Didn’t anyone warn you?  
Some doors close once they’re opened.  
Others lost, never discovered again. 
A million possibilities gained, a million more lost.  
Transitional moments come aplenty.  
Reshaping and making the person you are today. 

Whom are you mourning for?  
For a person who never was.  
Someone you think you should be. 
Choices that seem more appealing now. 
Mulling over a distorted past. 
Hindsight is not always honest.  

Why are time’s tricks so deceptive?  
Growing older doesn’t always bring wisdom. 
Distortions that filter your perspective. 
Look at yourself and the paths you’ve taken. 
Rather than those unrealized paths from long ago. 
Avoid the past’s siren song. 

Have you ever considered yourself? 
The beauty your story reveals. 
And the transitions you navigated.  
Don’t glamourize what might have been.  
Appreciate the wonder of each step you’ve taken.  
Celebrate each step that brought you here to 

this…  

very… 

moment. 

5 thoughts on “Don’t Mourn the Past

  1. Just right, Jonathan. Take a look at Antonio Machado’s poem “Caminante, no hay camino.” It has various English translations. Hope you like it.

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