John was too tall*
He should have called his mom more than once a year
He should have gone to his kid’s sports day
He shouldn’t have cheated on his wife
He should have gotten his haircut

Maybe then he wouldn’t have to pay his alimony check
Or eat Chinese takeout everyday
Or secretly steal teabags from his office

Maybe he would’ve bought her the necklace she wanted
Or taken them to the zoo like he promised
Maybe he would’ve graduated college
And backpacked through England like he wanted

But he didn’t
Because John was still to tall

When did should’ve, would’ve and couldn’t become the embodiment of futility that harbors your failures
Because we all would have, but we didn’t
And we all shouldn’t be stuck here, but we are