I Only Get To Pick One? Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Why is it always 'after' the fact,
Observed and witnessed deliberate actions taken...
At the expense of someone by another's doing,
There are those with sad faces who come forward...
To express what it is they should not have done?
With a 'look' as if a puppy not yet house broken,
And with sorrowful eyes intentionally set in a tilted head...
Hoping the punishment will not be as severe as it should be.

'I didn't mean any harm.
To anyone.'

~Did that feeling begin to stir within you before or 'after',
You realized we had your misdeeds videotaped? ~

'I don't know what came over me.'

~I have some suggestions.
Pick one.
Bad acting lessons?
How about the rolling of eyes of a passing stranger?
And my old time favorite that might work for you...
A dysfunctional childhood.
And...
As a bonus,
How about being ignored by parents,
Who themselves had mental instabilities.
Which one would you like to use? ~

'I only get to pick one? '

Oh well...
Go ahead and pick two.
But no more than that.