Free from our past
Can we ever be free from our past?
The mistakes. The wrongdoings. The scars.
What if we were Fuhrer Hitler or
Mussolini reborn?
Would we immediately be taken to task?
Will the past forever control us?
Tarnish our means to live a normal life
In the here and now
And ever after?
I’ve wondered about this for
Time immemorial
Flitting on days from
a hopeful yes
to a fervent no
How the past casts a
Dreaded shadow
Lengthening
Shortening
Lengthening
Shortening
At times I feel
Like a rubber band gone
Soft
Lengthening
Lengthening
Lengthening
Elasticity spent
Limp in my inelegant extent
Imprisoned in my yesteryears
Forever trapped
Forever yearning
At times I thought
I was freed from the old
To embrace the wonderful new
Like a bloke with a new sedan
Or a grandma a new grandchild
But I’m jolted awake
To find that the past
Still holds sway
Saying “This is us!
Don’t try to break free
For the body keeps the score
Get used to your old bedsheets my boy
With each passing year, its folds are
layered more and more”
Oh to be free from the past
To let go finally
At last.
