The Way Guilt Teaches Us Not To Do This And That Poem by RIC BASTASA

it is the guilt
that mothers us all

not to repeat what
we like and later abhor

it is this guilt
that behaves like an
old spinster
teaching a bunch of
kindergartens
that this playful thing
is not that good
at all

when she comes to me
bothering me
i finally decide to
offer it a
cup of my tea

and freed from her
tingling hold
i face her
feeling confident
about myself
stronger this time
about my next
decision

balancing between
this toe and that toe
i walk along this
rope
high above the air
feeling no fear
about falling