Regret

Regret

 

Soft around the edges,

But sharp at the core,

Light to carry at first, 

But heavy as you grow tired,

Expanding into every fibre of your being,

Sitting in the bottom of your stomach.

Confrontationally present,

Yet subtly sinister,

Barely there,

But constantly bubbling away underneath

The surface of your mind.

A filter that distorts your vision,

A hue that colours your gaze,

Translucent but never transparent,

Tucked away in your periphery.

A crease in your forehead,

A reminder of what could have been,

A heaviness on your shoulders,

A dreamt reality that can no longer exist.

Hindsight is 20/20, but regret clouds it with want,

A weight that grounds you in the past

As you move into the future,

Becoming heavier

And heavier,

 

Until you let go.

 

 

Writer – Olivia Hautler
Editor – Robbie Ge
Artist – Lily Yee

–August 2026–