Mistakes

• Dubhessa Bryant, Grade 7
• Poetry
• 2018

If I could go back on life,
And change the things I have done
To try to be the person I want to be,
Rather than the person I am,
A million shards of needle sharp regret, and guilt that pierce my heart
Would be mended and rectified.
But life is made up of these moments of guilt and shame,
Of joy and laughter,
And every moment of mourning and grief,
Serves just to allow us to recognise the value of true happiness and of what it brings to our lives.
In the process of rectifying our shortcomings or mistakes,
Would we not just create more?
The past is the only solid fact we have to rely on,
Let us not dwell on it; we cannot change what has already happened,
But let our past experiences guide us to be the person we want to be,
Rather than regret the mistakes of the person we once were.