Casualties

We were young then,

kids really…unrefined;

awkward, selfish, ignorant, blind—

stumbling along toward destinations unknown

leaving behind a smattering of fractured hearts

on the shard-strewn road to adulthood.

I could blame it on our innocence,

youthful fear or ignorance

but nothing would be gained.

You and I were never meant to be,

just casualties on the pathway to maturity.

Yet, I'm sorry if I caused you pain.

And I, in turn, have not been left unscathed—

and so forgive the ones who’ve done the same.

For you, who from my past I still recall,

amid the many memories eroding

on the convoluted paths from there to here,

that we even crossed at all is worth our noting.

© Ginny Brannan 2018