In the hollow space between
who I am and who I should have been,
as my failures echo around me.
I am only human.
Yet, regret lingers
like a bitter taste on my tongue,
offering a feeble defence
that I refuse to voice,
because my words are like pebbles
too small to fill this pit of regret
gorging on my conscience
so, I swallow them whole,
letting them settle
heavy in my throat
while you drown in my silence,
and wear your disappointment
like a weighted coat.

©️Lizzie Bevis