In Retrospect Poem by Sean John

In retrospect
A moment in time to quietly reflect
Recalling the spent years
Those lost through life's process of wear and tear
Looking back at my life
I am more than grateful that I am yet still alive
Time has favored me
It has been so much more than I thought it would be

In retrospect
As the focus of my thoughts silently redirects
Revisiting the earlier days
I'm locked in a state of involuntary marvel and gaze
As if I had lost control
Whilst the images of the past unconsciously unfold
Emotions lay hold on me
While life plays the scenes that it wants me to see

In retrospect
The things that I see now as I calmly reflect!
Life as I'd never seen it before
Like the mind breaking open with a great outpour
As each image is revealed
Even those that I thought were lost and concealed
It is an emotional affair
Certain events of the past for the first time become clear

In retrospect
I see things things that I did then that today I regret
Countless near tragedies of the past
That led to needless suffering and great emotional loss
I'm consumed by deep thoughts
A moment of sadness briefly settled in my heart
If time was able to permit me
If only it were possible to redo things differently!

In retrospect
Never again am I likely to ever forget
That life is a wonderful gift
That I should make the best of even the worst of it
Though there will be trials and challenges
I'm mindful there are also choices and consequences
And as long as there is still life yet
To live it unrestrained until the very last breath
In retrospect