Fate Waits For No One

A Poem

Photo by Philipp Cordts on Unsplash

my mother told me stories
of her first love so often
that i could trace the trail
of her heartbreak
as if it were my own

i told myself i’d never
make the same mistake

but of course i was wrong,
so wrong,
because you came into my life
when i needed you the most

green eyes,
sharp intellect,
and a hunger for more —
it was easy enough
to fall under your spell

i would have fallen to my knees
if it meant that i could have had
a chance of keeping you,
of holding you,
of savoring you

but you had eyes for other girls
and i was just one of many
when it came to your admirers

was i too young?
was i the willing fool?
was i hoping for miracles?

it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter —
because you’d collect
all your trophies anyway