I recall a day,
who knows how long ago
I lost my temper at a child,
Who, better, didn’t know.

She liked singing, doodling,
And playing hide-and-seek
I thought she was rather empty,
Being around her was always bleak.

She was annoying, for sure,
Like an alarm going off in the morning.
And oh, so very loud,
Like an attention-seeking freak.

An agonizing decade later,
I screamed at the poor kid,
“What are you, a monster!?”
And the pathetic thing ran and hid.

I remember avoiding mirrors for a long time after,
Knowing I shouldn’t have lost my cool.

Now when I look into my reflection
and see that kid again,
I finally realise,

“She was scared, you blasted fool.”