Byron, this aches in the best way. You turned "almost" into the loneliest word we own. And you landed on something the research quietly confirms: over a lifetime it is rarely the things we did that haunt us, it is the things we almost did. Action fades. Inaction echoes.
Byron, this captures that paralyzing "safety zone" beautifully—the tragic irony of hiding from the storm only to be struck by the lightning of what could have been. Your choice of words like "conveniently timid" perfectly crystallizes how hesitation masks itself as comfort until it's too late. It’s a hauntingly poignant tribute to the weight of the word "almost" and the ache of realizing that staying in the in-between is often the riskiest move of all.
Byron, this aches in the best way. You turned "almost" into the loneliest word we own. And you landed on something the research quietly confirms: over a lifetime it is rarely the things we did that haunt us, it is the things we almost did. Action fades. Inaction echoes.
Your best. My heart aches reading and digesting this.
Life is grand. The poem is in reference to my ex, and our efforts to maintain an image that was not us.
Thanks, Jeff.
Well, you moved me, my friend.
Someone I know?
XOXOXOXO
Mac
Someone I once knew. My ex, and our strident efforts to maintain the 'perfect couple' label. Now? Life is grand, with no labels!
Byron, this captures that paralyzing "safety zone" beautifully—the tragic irony of hiding from the storm only to be struck by the lightning of what could have been. Your choice of words like "conveniently timid" perfectly crystallizes how hesitation masks itself as comfort until it's too late. It’s a hauntingly poignant tribute to the weight of the word "almost" and the ache of realizing that staying in the in-between is often the riskiest move of all.
Echoing the felt comments of our friends, Byron, because there is no other way to receive your poem than to feel it
If only ......
By--
The more moments in life that pass, the more the word "almost" looms all the larger! Your reminder is spot on!
Tony