Regret

An unwanted visitor,
      but willingly treated
Heavy chains
      on your heart are seated
Unvented frustration,
     dutifully greeted
Mistakes and double-takes,
      tightly plaited...

But the past is a worn out dress,
      Mistakes a torn up book.
Moving forward, undeterred, undeviating,
      Without a backward look

Searching for lost hope,
      in every cranny, every nook
One bright golden penny,
      in the fast-flowing brook.

A flicker, a shimmer, of sunlight in the sea,
      and happiness appears, like a huge library.