My Greatest Folly

(40 lines/306 words)

I’m no poet and this will show it.
My greatest folly is a boy name Jolly.
I loved him much and doted on him such.
It’s too bad one day, I found out he was gay.

What? You don’t believe me?
Can’t swallow that cup of tea?
You really want to know my greatest folly?
Fine, I’ll spill the beans, but not in rhyme.

Some may say that my greatest folly is
Not having focused on my writing before now.
Others may say it is my choice to stay
Where I grew up and not explore the world.

Yet neither of those is my greatest folly.
That would be you.
Or, more accurately, my failure
To fall in love with you sooner.

You helped me, cared for me, listened to me.
Looking back, I see I did not return those to you.
When you reached out, I pushed you away,
Safe in my comfortable jail cell.

I was trapped in my prison
By material wealth and pseudo-love.
My jailer praised my body
As he malnourished my soul.

Once you had gone, I finally realized what you had given me.
Your heart, and I had broken it.
So I broke out of my prison and ran to you.
With open arms, you were willing to move forward with me.

As broken as I was,
As much as I had hurt you,
You loved me still
And guided me into the light.

The saying about letting something go and it coming back
May be true, but if I could go back in time and change,
I would spare you the pain of letting me go, just so I could come back.
I’d undo my greatest folly,
I’d love you from the start like you loved me.

Though I love you now and always,
I still remember my greatest folly
And grieve.