I have
fathered children
I have not yet
seen them become parents
I have
traveled to three continents
I have not yet
seen eternal snow wastes
I have
kissed a stranger on a spring day in Prague
I have not yet
asked the mother of my children to lie with me under foreign sun
I have
brought steel together with my hands
I have not yet
guided my grandchild's hand to hold a tool
I have
borne weapons and ended life
I have not yet
asked forgiveness of my victims
I have
stood before the waters as they receded
I have not yet
turned to walk or run away
in the certainty that I never will.
116
I dreamt that I was standing there on that beach and looking at the life I had never lived but the losing of it was bleeding me dry nevertheless and I decided there was no reason to run