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| Michael Cohen by Ross Studio |
I am not a bad man
and yet
I am not a good man
I knew the road’s rules
and yet
I went off the rails
I loved my family
and yet
I brought them pain
I am not an angry man
and yet
I am not a satisfied man
I am a problem-solver
and yet
I caused complications
I am a loyal man
and yet
I betrayed everyone
I know what truth is
and yet
I used to lie for a living
I am not a sorry man
and yet
I am a man filled with regrets
One does what one can
until that is no longer an option
Then one becomes someone else
and yet
Maybe it is better
Maybe it is worse
My guilt may set me free
and yet
Mary K O'Melveny is a recently retired labor rights attorney who lives in Washington DC and Woodstock NY. Her work has appeared in various print and on-line journals. Her first poetry chapbook A Woman of a Certain Age is available from Finishing Line Press.