poetry 2017 / 031

Apology

It's time to say I'm sorry

for all the things I did

when I was avaricious, proud or angry;

The time I punched John Emerson in the liver

for calling me... whatever it was...

for pulling Sally's Cooper's hair

because she stopped being my friend;

for writing grafitti on the school bus

and sawing through the table in home room.

For writing lurid teenage sex stories

starring the current recipient of my lust.

The time I stole porn mags from John Menzies

and sold them to the boys at school.

For stealing my father's cigarettes,

a bottle of whisky from the pantry,

and chocolate from my mother's shop.

The night I kicked a bloke in the neck

for beating up my bff

and the harsh words over Messenger

when Vicky finally dumped me

because she was straight after all.

Now I'm sorry for my complacency;

my peace with the world

and my lack of ambition;

but most of all to myself

for the abuses of my body

and the extra hundred pounds of weight.