81 Poems about Regret Reminding You to Move Forward
Regret is a common human emotion that can be both painful and instructive.
It is an emotion that poets have explored for centuries, producing some of the most profound and moving works of literature.
In this collection of poems about regret, we explore the different aspects of this complex emotion, from love to life choices, mistakes to forgiveness.
Featuring both popular and famous works, as well as short and long poems about regret, this collection aims to remind readers that while regret can be a powerful force, it is ultimately up to us to use it to learn and grow.
So let’s read some poems of regret!
Popular Poems about Regret
Regret is a universal emotion that has inspired countless poets over the centuries. Popular poems about regret explore the pain and longing that come with wishing for a different outcome.
1. Regret
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
There is a haunting phantom called Regret,
A shadowy creature robed somewhat like Wo,
But fairer in the face, whom all men know
By her sad mien, and eyes forever wet.
No heart would seek her; but once having met,
All take her by the hand, and to and fro
They wander through those paths of long ago—
Those hallowed ways ’twere wiser to forget.
One day she led me to that lost land’s gate
And bade me enter; but I answered “No!
I will pass on with my bold comrade Fate;
I have no tears to waste on thee—no time—
My strength I hoard for heights I hope to climb,
No friend art thou, for souls that would be great.”
2. If I Could Go Back
by Shianne
For every time that I broke down
There was a fake smile to cover the frown
I hid behind lies when things got tough
Forced myself to think it was enough
My tears were masked by the rain
Unseen by all, alone with my pain
Each night was a cover to hide my cries
To keep from showing all these lies
If I could go back, I’d change it all
Stop myself from starting to fall
Consumed by hatred, I lost all sight
I knew what was wrong but it felt so right
I couldn’t live without the pain
Or the anger pulsing through my vein
Each truth a lie I learned to hold
While watching each one start to unfold
If I could go back, all that would change
These diamond lies wouldn’t seem so strange
I’d undo my lies and make them true
Hold on tightly to all that I do
Forget the bad, and think of only each day
And what’s to come, without dismay
I’d forget that I cried those tears
Remember only every one of my fears
I’d try to be everything that I lost
Before I fell, remember the cost
Hope for the best, and try to be
All that died when I lost me
I’d turn back time to redo all this
And relive the life I almost missed
Only if I could turn it back
I’d find everything that I started to lack
No longer would fake smiles appear
They’d be true with nothing to fear
It’d be as though it was a dream
That came one night to make it seem
As though this was really true
But now there’s only one thing I must do
Go back in time and erase this pain
Wash it away on rivers of rain
All this could happen if I went back
And once again in my life, I’d be on the right track.
3. My Birth-Day
by Thomas Moore
“My birth-day”—what a different sound
That word had in my youthful ears!
And how, each time the day comes round,
Less and less white its mark appears!
When first our scanty years are told,
It seems like pastime to grow old;
And, as Youth counts the shining links
That Time around him binds so fast,
Pleased with the task, he little thinks
How hard that chain will press at last.
Vain was the man, and false as vain,
Who said—”were he ordained to run
His long career of life again,
He would do all that he had done.”
Ah, ’tis not thus the voice, that dwells
In sober birth-days, speaks to me;
Far otherwise—of time it tells
Lavished unwisely, carelessly;
Of counsel mocked: of talents, made
Haply for high and pure designs,
But oft, like Israel’s incense, laid
Upon unholy, earthly shrines;
Of nursing many a wrong desire;
Of wandering after Love too far,
And taking every meteor-fire
That crossed my pathway, for a star.
All this it tells, and, could I trace
The imperfect picture o’er again,
With power to add, retouch, efface
The lights and shades, the joy and pain,
How little of the past would stay!
How quickly all should melt away—
All—but that Freedom of the Mind,
Which hath been more than wealth to me;
Those friendships, in my boyhood twined,
And kept till now unchangingly;
And that dear home, that saving-ark,
Where Love’s true light at last I’ve found,
Cheering within, when all grows dark,
And comfortless, and stormy round!
4. Alone in My Head
by Anonymous
Alone in my head,
I’m feeling so low.
You won’t understand,
No one can know.
My eyes are so tired.
I can’t sleep at night.
Your face haunts my dreams
When I turn out the light.
It happened so suddenly,
It happened so fast.
I knew all at once.
That none of this would last.
Was I just a game?
Was this all just for fun?
Did my feelings matter
To anyone?
“This didn’t mean anything,”
That’s what you said,
As I was so shamefully
Getting up from your bed.
I held my head high,
As I walked by your side.
Tears welling up,
I was dying inside.
Weeks have passed,
Keeping secrets, telling lies.
I don’t have the strength
To look either of them in the eyes.
My heart has been broken,
Not once, but twice.
Once by my best friend,
Once by the love of my life.
Deep down inside,
I know it’s my fault,
So I’m just going to lock it
Away in my vault.
Sometimes I still think of you
When I’m lying in bed,
Still all alone,
Inside of my head.
5. A Song of Regret
by Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts
In the southward sky
The late swallows fly,
The low red willows
In the river quiver;
From the beeches nigh
Russet leaves sail by,
The tawny billows
In the chill wind shiver;
The beech-burrs burst,
And the nuts down-patter;
The red squirrels chatter
O’er the wealth disperst.
Yon carmine glare
Would the west outdare;—
‘Tis the Fall attire
Of the maples flaming.
In the keen late air
Is an impulse rare,
A sting like fire,
A desire past naming.
But the crisp mists rise
And my heart falls a-sighing,—
Sighing, sighing
That the sweet time dies!
6. Regrets in Growing Old
by Patricia A Fleming
The hardest part of getting old,
Is dealing with regrets,
Accepting there’s no going back.
One chance is all I get.
Facing dreams that I once had
That never did come true,
And knowing they can’t be achieved
And there’s nothing now to do.
Recalling choices that I made
That clearly changed my life.
Times when I retreated
When I should have stood to fight.
People that I pushed away
Who only meant me well.
While holding on to other ones
Who made my life a hell.
Devoting all my energy
To the work I did each day
While investing little in myself
As my own life slipped away.
Not working hard on friendships,
Or on a family of my own.
So that now in this last stage of life,
I find myself alone.
If I had to do it all again,
It wouldn’t be the same.
I’d live my life more for myself.
My priorities would change.
I would reach back more to others
Who had tried to pull me close.
And cherish all those people,
Who had cared for me the most.
I would not accept hurt or abuse
But demand love and respect.
I’d nurture those parts of myself
That I tended to neglect.
I would hope to have at least one child,
Who I’d teach and guide through life.
Who would hopefully look up to me,
And treasure my advice.
I would still find time to do my work,
One thing of which I’m proud.
It was my years in social work
That were my most profound.
But as for all the time I lost,
And the things that I can’t change.
I have to let it go for good
And focus on the time that now remains.
For there are no second chances.
This is the life I made.
But I pray that by my being here,
I’ve made a difference in some way.
7. Tears, Idle Tears
by Tears, Idle Tears
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy Autumn-fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more.
Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail,
That brings our friends up from the underworld,
Sad as the last which reddens over one
That sinks with all we love below the verge;
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.
Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns
The earliest pipe of half-awaken’d birds
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.
Dear as remember’d kisses after death,
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feign’d
On lips that are for others; deep as love,
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret;
O Death in Life, the days that are no more!
8. Regret and Remorse
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Regret with streaming eyes doth seem alway
A maiden widowed on her wedding day.
While dark Remorse, with eyes too sad for tears,
A crushed, desponding Magdalene appears.
One, with a hungering heart unsatisfied,
Mourns for imagined joys that were denied.
The other, pierced by recollected sin,
Broods o’er the scars of pleasures that have been.
Famous Poems about Regret
Famous poems about regret and guilt explore the deep sense of loss and longing that often accompanies regret and offer a sense of solace to those struggling with this powerful emotion.
1. When Time Runs Out
by Alice Wyndham
When time runs out and your heart needs to say so much more
But the heart that should hear it is gone now forever
And you are left with a raw nagging sore,
Then reach for your paper, your pen, and your candle
And write though your heart it would burst.
No fears now restrain you, no judgment, no mock.
Write of your best, of your worst.
When your soul is then drained of its deepest regret
Then hold your true paper to the candle’s clear flame.
That thought-laden smoke might reach to that heart
And ashes, a symbol of love, yet remain.
2. To Wish
by Catherine Pulsifer
To wish you hadn’t d
one a thing
Is not a good feeling
To be filled with remorse about this thing
Can hold you back from truly living
You can’t go back and change the past
By doing this you’re making mistakes last
Learn what you can and move on
Today is the breaking of a new dawn.
We all fall down at times
But regret should not be the chime
Start again this very day
Don’t let yesterday’s regret stay.
3. Secrets
by Nicole
do your secrets rip and roar?
do they tear at you with open claws?
do your secrets dig down deep?
do the make you want to speak?
and also sometimes make you weep?
why’d I do it in the first place when I knew it was along?
I wonder how secrets can be kept for so long?
I wish I could just turn back time,
so that everything will all be fine.
I have never felt this love I feel,
I know that this time it’s finally real.
I have been the lucky one,
he’ll never know the rotten things I’ve done,
but what will happen if my secrets finally escape?
will I break down, or die in a lake?
even though now there in the past,
I wonder how long my secrets will last?
4. The New Remorse
by Oscar Wilde
The sin was mine; I did not understand.
So now is music prisoned in her cave,
Save where some ebbing desultory wave
Frets with its restless whirls this meagre strand.
And in the withered hollow of this land
Hath Summer dug herself so deep a grave,
That hardly can the leaden willow crave
One silver blossom from keen Winter’s hand.
But who is this who cometh by the shore?
(Nay, love, look up and wonder!) Who is this
Who cometh in dyed garments from the South?
It is thy new-found Lord, and he shall kiss
The yet unravished roses of thy mouth,
And I shall weep and worship, as before.
5. Choices
by Rueth
Why did I decide to change the course of my life?
I was impatient and naive that I let people take advantage of me.
My life has turned upside down, and now it is crashing down.
I thought I could find love and hold it, blindly I went for it
And tried to hold on to someone I thought felt the same
But only caused myself heartache and pain.
I gave all that I had, my mind and body and soul.
For what, only to be told that I was not the one he wanted to hold?
That I was just someone he could control.
Said he was ashamed to be seen with me.
You don’t know what that has done to me.
How stupid am I that I cry and cry?
Cry out why? Why?
Then I am reminded of the choices I had made.
Those choices have changed my life completely.
I have done this to myself.
No one is to blame.
I thought if I ignored the pain,
The pain would go away and things would change.
But I was wrong; things have changed.
I do not feel the same.
For what was once love has turned to hate.
And now I must make my escape.
6. It Might Have Been
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
We will be what we could be. Do not say,
“It might have been, had not or that, or this.”
No fate can keep us from the chosen way;
He only might who is.
We will do what we could do. Do not dream
Chance leaves a hero, all uncrowned to grieve.
I hold, all men are greatly what they seem;
He does who could achieve.
We will climb where we could climb. Tell me not
Of adverse storms that kept thee from the height.
What eagle ever missed the peak he sought?
He always climbs who might.
I do not like the phrase, “It might have been!”
It lacks all force, and life’s best truths perverts:
For I believe we have, and reach, and win,
Whatever our deserts.
7. Stuck in The Past
by Anonymous
Old memories, old actions, old regrets,
It seems someone never forgets,
They seem to return over and over again,
When will they disappear,
When, when, when…
Why are the details so important,
They aren’t even related to us.
Do they really have to add up,
Or have to be continuous?
Feels like being stuck in the past.
I am curious to how long it will last.
It eats away the present oh so fast,
That even our future will become the past.
8. Regret
by Richard Le Gallienne
One asked of regret,
And I made reply:
To have held the bird,
And let it fly;
To have seen the star
For a moment nigh,
And lost it
Through a slothful eye;
To have plucked the flower
And cast it by;
To have one only hope –
To die.
Short Poems about Regret
Short poems about regret capture the essence of this powerful emotion in just a few lines. These poems often use spare, evocative language to convey the sense of loss and longing that accompanies regret.
1. November
by E. C.
I would forget so many things;
The moaning wind, and rain,
Uncanny sounds of ghostly hands
At door and window pane.
I would forget the perished leaves
And grass, dismantled trees—
Old loves and hopes, the youth of me
That passed away with these.
But when I see November come,
How shall I then forget;
The other years return with her—
Remembrance and regret.
2. May We So Live
by O. Howard Perkins
May we soon learn,
That if we would make the day happy and worthwhile,
We must not seek our own pleasure and good,
But that of our brethren.
May we so live that when
The night shadows are again upon us,
There shall be no cause
For shame or regret.
3. Sometimes
by Thomas S. Jones, Jr.
Across the fields of yesterday
He sometimes comes to me,
A little lad just back from play—
The lad I used to be.
And yet he smiles so wistfully
Once he has crept within,
I wonder if he hopes to see
The man I might have been.
4. Remorse
by Emily Dickinson
Remorse is memory awake,
Her companies astir, —
A presence of departed acts
At window and at door.
It’s past set down before the soul,
And lighted with a match,
Perusal to facilitate
Of its condensed despatch.
Remorse is cureless, — the disease
Not even God can heal;
For ‘t is his institution, —
The complement of hell.
5. Unsung
by Jessie Belle Rittenhouse
The songs I have not sung to you
Will wake me in the night
And hover in the dark like birds
Whose wings are tipped with light.
Like birds with restless, eager wings
That quiver for their flight,
The songs I have not sung to you
Will wake me in the night.
6. Conscience and Remorse
by Laurence Dunbar
“Good-bye,” I said to my conscience —
“Good-bye for aye and aye,”
And I put her hands off harshly,
And turned my face away;
And conscience smitten sorely
Returned not from that day.
But a time came when my spirit
Grew weary of its pace;
And I cried: “Come back, my conscience;
I long to see thy face.”
But conscience cried: “I cannot;
Remorse sits in my place.”
7. My Room, Dark Black
by Anonymous
my room, dark black
my nightmares come back
my past, won’t leave me
I need someone to free me
deep hurt, my pain
all the regret makes me insane
my eyes, wet
the reasons why, I’ll never forget
my arm, bloody
my words, cunning
my heart, broken
on each breath, I’m choking
Long Poems about Regret
Longer poems about regret dive into the details of this powerful emotion, exploring the ways in which it can shape our lives and our relationships. These poems often offer a deep, nuanced exploration of pain and longing.
1. The Imperfect Enjoyment
by Wilmot Earl Of Rochester
Naked she lay, clasped in my longing arms,
I filled with love, and she all over charms;
Both equally inspired with eager fire,
Melting through kindness, flaming in desire.
With arms, legs, lips close clinging to embrace,
She clips me to her breast, and sucks me to her face.
Her nimble tongue, love’s lesser lightning, played
Within my mouth, and to my thoughts conveyed
Swift orders that I should prepare to throw
The all-dissolving thunderbolt below.
My fluttering soul, sprung with the pointed kiss,
Hangs hovering o’er her balmy brinks of bliss.
But whilst her busy hand would guide that part
Which should convey my soul up to her heart,
In liquid raptures I dissolve all o’er,
Melt into sperm, and spend at every pore.
A touch from any part of her had done ‘t:
Her hand, her foot, her very look’s a c*nt.
Smiling, she chides in a kind murmuring noise,
And from her body wipes the clammy joys,
When, with a thousand kisses wandering o’er
My panting bosom, “Is there then no more?”
She cries. “All this to love and rapture’s due;
Must we not pay a debt to pleasure too?”
But I, the most forlorn, lost man alive,
To show my wished obedience vainly strive:
I sigh, alas! and kiss, but cannot swive.
Eager desires confound my first intent,
Succeeding shame does more success prevent,
And rage at last confirms me impotent.
Ev’n her fair hand, which might bid heat return
To frozen age, and make cold hermits burn,
Applied to my dear cinder, warms no more
Than fire to ashes could past flames restore.
Trembling, confused, despairing, limber, dry,
A wishing, weak, unmoving lump I lie.
This dart of love, whose piercing point, oft tried,
With virgin blood ten thousand maids has dyed,
Which nature still directed with such art
That it through every c*nt reached every heart—
Stiffly resolved, ‘twould carelessly invade
Woman or man, nor ought its fury stayed:
Where’er it pierced, a c*nt it found or made—
Now languid lies in this unhappy hour,
Shrunk up and sapless like a withered flower.
Thou treacherous, base deserter of my flame,
False to my passion, fatal to my fame,
Through what mistaken magic dost thou prove
So true to lewdness, so untrue to love?
What oyster-cinder-beggar-common whore
Didst thou e’er fail in all thy life before?
When vice, disease, and scandal lead the way,
With what officious haste doest thou obey!
Like a rude, roaring hector in the streets
Who scuffles, cuffs, and justles all he meets,
But if his king or country claim his aid,
The rakehell villain shrinks and hides his head;
Ev’n so thy brutal valor is displayed,
Breaks every stew, does each small whore invade,
But when great Love the onset does command,
Base recreant to thy prince, thou dar’st not stand.
Worst part of me, and henceforth hated most,
Through all the town a common f*cking post,
On whom each whore relieves her tingling c*nt
As hogs on gates do rub themselves and grunt,
Mayst thou to ravenous chancres be a prey,
Or in consuming weepings waste away;
May strangury and stone thy days attend;
May’st thou never piss, who didst refuse to spend
When all my joys did on false thee depend.
And may ten thousand abler pricks agree
To do the wronged Corinna right for thee.
2. The Old Stone Quarry
Grown with grass and with tangled weeds,
Where the blind mole hides and the rabbit feeds,
And, unmolested, the serpent breeds.
Edged with underwood, newly grown,
Draped with the cloak that the years have thrown
Round the broken gaps in the jagged stone.
It was opened—I know not how long ago—
Opened, and left half-worked, and so
In this ragged hollow the rank weeds grow.
Why lies it idle, this beautiful stone?
Ho, for the pickaxe! One by one
Hew out these blocks—here is work undone.
There are possible towers in this serpent’s den—
Possible homes for homeless men.
Who shall build them? and where? and when?
Must they lie here still, unmarked, unsought—
Turrets and temples, uncarved, unwrought,
Till the end of time? ‘Tis a sorrowful thought!
All through the heats of the summer hours,
The wild bee hums in the unplucked flowers
That creep and bloom over unbuilt towers.
As I sit here, perched on the grass-grown wall,
Down to the hollow the brown leaves fall,
Little by little covering all.
So month after month, and year after year,
The rank weeds creep and the leaves turn sere.
And a thicker mantle is weaving here.
And a day may come when the passer-by,
Threading the underwood, then grown high,
Shall see but a hollow, where dead leaves lie.
There are human souls that seem to me
Like this unwrought stone—for all you see—
Is a shapeless quarry of what might be,
Lying idle, and overgrown
With tangled weeds, like this beautiful stone—
Possible work left undone,
Possible victories left unwon.
And that is a waste that is worse than this;
Sharper the edge of the hidden abyss,
Deadlier serpents crawl and hiss.
And a day shall come when the desolate scene,
Though scanned by eyes that are close and keen,
Shall show no trace of its “might have been.”
3. Regrets of My Life
by Mayurakshi Sinha
Life is full of regret and up and down,
Life is full of surprises and unplanned crises.
Life is a roller coaster ride that has Both happy and dark days.
My life was also one of them,
I was blessed as you were a part of the same.
You came into my life like a gust of wind.
I was the pampered princess and you my prince charming.
I was the only daughter of a lovely family,
And the apple of the eye for all, and you treated me with the same compassion.
Life can be hard and challenging,
I never had the chance to witness the same.
You and my family around I was always very protected.
I was born with a silver spoon, so I knew only life’s best side.
I have seen the natural beauty of the sea but never felt the waves can be dangerous too.
My life was a fairytale romance and I dreamt of myself as the princess.
You too called me, your “queen” and treated me the same way.
You tolerated my bad behavior and forgave my all mistake in the name of love. I took everyone’s love for granted.
My mother has been the protective shield who tried to save me from the world, She wanted to look good and eat healthily but I always threw tantrums.
I felt as protective nature was intruding into my personal space.
My father wanted to teach me the value of money,
But I always believed in spending it on parties and expensive showoffs.
My brothers wanted me to learn google map and learn the hard realities of the world, But I always thought they were wrong and felt the world is a very beautiful place.
You my life have the wish to save from everything in life.
You only have one wish to save my innocence and one dream to make my dream successful.
But life had some other plans, I decided to fly high and left the safety net.
I took a plight and left my state, had dreams to harbor and expectations to prove.
But all went in vain because I did not have my support system.
The work of my daily life felt mundane and I felt helpless.
I did not have a mother to cook food for me, a father to give money to me, Nor a brother to guide me with roads and neither you to protect me always.
Life was hard and days were dark and learned the roads on my way.
The learning was difficult, but the worth was millions of dollars.
May I have sleepless nights and dark circles under my eyes.
But it opened my eyes and understood the reality of life.
I understood the importance of family, and the concept of living alone is a myth.
It taught me, freedom is good but protection is better.
Being alone is good, but having nobody in need is a curse
Life was tough and the pain was unbearable, but it also had its advantages.
It taught me the worth of family, it made me a better person.
I met myself in those years of solitude.
I understood the worth of my parents and the value of their sacrifices.
I learned the loving nature of my cousins and uncle.
Above all, I learned the importance of you,
You have always made me, the center of your life.
I realized my life is incomplete without you.
I regretted the pain, which I inflicted upon you and endured it without a word just with a smile.
I realized you are the best thing that could ever happen in my life. After four years, when I ended my exile in fear of losing you forever, For my foolishness and all selfish reasons.
But to my utter shock neither I got back my family, but also you.
Who was standing at my door with a ring in his hand to make his princess forever? I have tears of happiness and remorse in my eyes, and you were proud to say the new girl in me.
4. A Clear Canvas
by Anonymous
An artist bad at his works,
But heart full of passion,
Notice himself lost by the
Image of perfection.
There he did not worry,
For he says to himself,
“I could live my life
admiring this beauty.”
As he goes farther,
The image gets better.
He was mesmerized from what he sees;
He got lost again,
But found a great canvas,
Seating in an old easel
Drown by the canvas,
He plans to paint an equal.
He took it away from where it sits,
and started to make his “masterpiece”.
Alas, the image of perfection
slowly fades in his head piece by piece.
The artist panicked,
for he is forgetting,
Trying to remember what is left from his memory,
he rushes things and started to paint carelessly.
Once he finished painting,
The image in his head faded
Looking at what he made,
The art he soon regretted
He forgets what he saw,
But felt it wasn’t perfect.
Thus, the painting he hated.
Drowning from his thoughts and regret,
Trying to picture it inside his head,
A clear canvas is what he met
The artist started to doubt himself.
Controlled by the threads of guilt,
“The worst artist” is what he felt.
Spent his lifetime trying to find,
The image he couldn’t recall,
He witness again the canvas,
A tear in his eyes befall.
It’s covered by pink tulip petals,
He start to regain back his morals,
For he has witness imperfections,
Trying to mimic the perfect view,
He didn’t saw the implications,
Took responsibility on what he made,
He once let the imperfect painting strayed,
He repents to the painting for what he have done,
He’ll makes sure to take care of it now,
Feeling of admiration to the art, he’ll allow.
5. Maud Muller
by John Greenleaf Whittier
Maud Muller, on a summer’s day,
Raked the meadow sweet with hay.
Beneath her torn hat glowed the wealth
Of simple beauty and rustic health.
Singing, she wrought, and her merry glee
The mock-bird echoed from his tree.
But when she glanced to the far-off town,
White from its hill-slope looking down,
The sweet song died, and a vague unrest
And a nameless longing filled her breast,—
A wish that she hardly dared to own,
For something better than she had known.
The Judge rode slowly down the lane,
Smoothing his horse’s chestnut mane.
He drew his bridle in the shade
Of the apple-trees to greet the maid,
And ask a draught from the spring that flowed
Through the meadow across the road.
She stooped where the cool spring bubbled up,
And filled for him her small tin cup,
And blushed as she gave it, looking down
On her feet so bare, and her tattered gown.
“Thanks!” said the Judge; “a sweeter draught
From a fairer hand was never quaffed.”
He spoke of the grass and flowers and trees,
Of the singing birds and the humming bees;
Then talked of the haying, and wondered whether
The cloud in the west would bring foul weather.
And Maud forgot her brier-torn gown
And her graceful ankles bare and brown;
And listened, while a pleased surprise
Looked from her long-lashed hazel eyes.
At last, like one who for delay
Seeks a vain excuse, he rode away.
Maud Muller looked and sighed: “Ah me!
That I the Judge’s bride might be!
“He would dress me up in silks so fine,
And praise and toast me at his wine.
“My father should wear a broadcloth coat;
My brother should sail a painted boat.
“I’d dress my mother so grand and gay,
And the baby should have a new toy each day.
“And I’d feed the hungry and clothe the poor,
And all should bless me who left our door.”
The Judge looked back as he climbed the hill,
And saw Maud Muller standing still.
“A form more fair, a face more sweet,
Ne’er hath it been my lot to meet.
“And her modest answer and graceful air
Show her wise and good as she is fair.
“And her modest answer and graceful air
Show her wise and good as she is fair.
“No doubtful balance of rights and wrongs,
Nor weary lawyers with endless tongues,
“But low of cattle and song of birds,
And health and quiet and loving words.”
But he thought of his sisters proud and cold,
And his mother vain of her rank and gold.
So, closing his heart, the Judge rode on,
And Maud was left in the field alone.
But the lawyers smiled that afternoon,
When he hummed in court an old love-tune;
And the young girl mused beside the well,
Till the rain on the unraked clover fell.
He wedded a wife of richest dower,
Who lived for fashion, as he for power.
Yet oft, in his marble hearth’s bright glow,
He watched a picture come and go;
And sweet Maud Muller’s hazel eyes
Looked out in their innocent surprise.
Oft, when the wine in his glass was red,
He longed for the wayside well instead;
And closed his eyes on his garnished rooms
To dream of meadows and clover-blooms.
And the proud man sighed, with a secret pain,
“Ah, that I were free again!
“Free as when I rode that day,
Where the barefoot maiden raked her hay.”
She wedded a man unlearned and poor,
And many children played round her door.
But care and sorrow, and childbirth pain, Left their traces on heart and brain.
And oft, when the summer sun shone hot
On the new-mown hay in the meadow lot,
And she heard the little spring brook fall
Over the roadside, through the wall,
In the shade of the apple-tree again
She saw a rider draw his rein.
And, gazing down with timid grace,
She felt his pleased eyes read her face.
Sometimes her narrow kitchen walls
Stretched away into stately halls;
The weary wheel to a spinet turned,
The tallow candle an astral burned,
And for him who sat by the chimney lug,
Dozing and grumbling o’er pipe and mug,
A manly form at her side she saw,
And joy was duty and love was law.
Then she took up her burden of life again,
Saying only, “It might have been.”
Alas for maiden, alas for Judge,
For rich repiner and household drudge!
God pity them both! and pity us all, Who vainly the dreams of youth recall.
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: “It might have been!”
Ah, well! for us all some sweet hope lies
Deeply buried from human eyes;
And, in the hereafter, angels may
Roll the stone from its grave away!
Sad Poems about Regret
Regret is often accompanied by a deep sense of sadness and loss, and poems about this powerful emotion can be profoundly moving. Poems of sorrow and regret about regret capture the emotional intensity of this experience, offering readers a sense of solace and understanding.
1. The Window
by Jake Tipton
I look out the window and what do I see?
Except for a better version of me?
He did the right where I did the wrong
So, I’m the one that wrote this song
I’m here soaking up regret in the air
You died thinking I never did care
I wish I would’ve made the right choices
Now it’s too late, but I hear the voices
Saying all I should’ve said
I never knew you would end up dead
If I could have one last moment with you
I would die to let you know I love you too
The three seconds it would have taken to make that call
To show how much I cared after all
So if you were here, what would you ask of me?
I just want to know what you would want me to be
If you were here would you be proud?
But now you’re lost in the grim reaper’s shroud
You were the one that taught me right
And you were the one who stole away in the middle of the night
Now I lay awake in bed
With thoughts of you in my head
Why didn’t I say that four letter word?
If only you hadn’t died before you heard
I was so wrong and now I see
You only wanted the best for me
So as I lay here seeing you now
I only wish I could tell you somehow
That even though the call you awaited never came
I did and do love you all the same
And now I only wish I could have seen the light
As I look out the window on this fateful night
2. Regrets
by Mrs. Elizabeth Oakes Smith
Meseemed as I did walk a crystal wall
Translucent in the hue of rosy morn,
And saw Eurydice, from Orpheus torn,
Lift her white brow from out its heavy pall,
With sweet lips echoing his melodious call,
And following him, love-led and music-borne,—
A sharp and broken cry, and she was gone!
Thou fairest grief, thou saddest type of all
Our sorrowing kind! O lost Eurydice!
Thy deathful cry thrilled in mine every vein,
When Orpheus turned him back, thus losing thee.
His broken lute and melancholy plain
All time prolongs,—the still unceasing flow
Of unavailing grief, and a regretful woe.
3. The Dying Storm
by Hannah Flagg Gould
I am feeble, pale and weary,
And my wings are nearly furled!
I have caused a scene so dreary,
I am glad to quit the world!
With bitterness I’m thinking
On the evil I have done,
And to my caverns sinking
From the coming of the sun.
The heart of man will sicken
In that pure and holy light,
When he feels the hopes I’ve stricken
With an everlasting blight!
For widely, in my madness,
Have I poured abroad my wrath;
And, changing joy to sadness,
Scattered ruin on my path.
Earth shuddered at my motion,
And my power in silence owns;
But the deep and troubled ocean
O’er my deeds of horror moans!
I have sunk the brightest treasure;
I’ve destroyed the fairest form:
I have sadly filled my measure,
And am now a dying storm!
4. A Little Boy’s Vain Regret
by Edith Matilda Thomas
He was six years old, just six that day,
And I saw he had something important to say
As he held in his hand a broken toy.
He looked in my face for an instant, and then
He said, with a sigh, and a downcast eye,
“If I could live my life over again,
I think I could be a better boy!”
5. When Will I Learn
by Micha-chu!
It’s been three years
But whenever i remember,
My eyes still shed tears
And i still feel my fears.
Just a couple of months being with you
Now it takes me forever to forget you
When will i learn to forget?
Will i always have all these regrets?
You look so happy with her
And here i am wishing i was her
What we had was my everything
But you left me with nothing.
I wish i could have you back
But my hopes was all black
One day i know i can teach myself and learn
To forget you, be free and yearn.
6. Regret
by Moira Thompson
You told me that you loved me
And would never break my heart
You said that it was fun
That it wouldn’t hurt.
So I took the cup from your hands
And put it to my lips
I started to get dizzy
And felt your hands around my hips.
You led me up the stairs
And into a dark place
You laid me on the bed
And put your hands around my face.
You slipped of my shirt
And undid the button on my skirt
You put yourself on top of me
Then it started to hurt.
The only thing I heard
Was you laughing in my ear
Your hot breath in my face
And the stench of too much beer.
When you were finished
You rolled over on the bed
Put your arms around my waist
And kissed me on the head
Then you got up
And got something from the floor
I heard the break of plastic
Then you got on top of me once more.
This time it was louder
As the headboard hit the wall.
You were taking away my innocence
My hope, you took it all.
Finally you stopped
Got up and walked down stairs
You left me all alone
Crying, cold, and scared.
I don’t remember everything
But that moment I’ll never forget
When I took the first sip of beer
The thing I most regret.
7. Spirit of Sadness
by Richard Le Gallienne
She loved the Autumn, I the Spring,
Sad all the songs she loved to sing;
And in her face was strangely set
Some great inherited regret.
Some look in all things made her sigh,
Yea! sad to her the morning sky:
‘So sad! so sad its beauty seems’ –
I hear her say it still in dreams.
But when the day grew grey and old,
And rising stars shone strange and cold,
Then only in her face I saw
A mystic glee, a joyous awe.
Spirit of Sadness, in the spheres
Is there an end of mortal tears?
Or is there still in those great eyes
That look of lonely hills and skies?
Poems about Regret and Love
Poems about regret and love capture the sense of longing and loss that can accompany failed relationships, offering readers a powerful and poignant reflection on the complexities of the human heart.
1. Love, Longing, Regret
by Michelle McKay
The thought of you, it makes me weak, the torment my mind brings with every blink, I try to forget, to fulfill the emptiness, the sorrow that haunts my dreams,
Your face is burned into the back of my eyes, my heart is broken and my soul cries, I lost the love that was there for so long, and now I’m lost and don’t know where I belong,
We had a future, a life, it would have been good, but I left, disappeared, without a word,
my mistakes revolve in the back of my mind, like a Ferris wheel lost in time, I wish I could go back, to correct my wrongs, to be with you where I belong,
I realize now that I am regretfully broken, how bad I hurt you, how great we could have been, it’s too late to say I’m sorry, my words fall on deaf ears, my sorrow is mine to keep along with all my tears.
2. I Will Love You
by Larah J. Davies
With all of my heart I love you.
I honestly, truly do.
But with every angry word spoken,
I become more resentful of you.
It’s like we’ve forgotten our history.
We’ve forgotten what we had before.
And now I’m ever closer, it seems,
To packing up and closing the door.
I imagined having your children,
And what a beautiful thing it would be.
Thought we’d find a house and settle down.
Make four where there once was three.
But now those dreams are distant,
Filled with a fog made up of fear.
My body is fighting through the mist,
But the doubt is all I hear.
Hostile hands and heavy hearts…
They join together here.
And in a flash, as quick as that,
I’ve hurt you, and you me, my dear.
There is not much left that’s not been broken
In our path of hurt and despair.
Broken glass and broken souls
And disappointment reeks in the air.
Our spirits, once bright and so hopeful,
Are now lost in the seas of regret,
And when I reach out my hand to save them,
My poor heart begins to fret.
The smiles we once wore as medals,
To show the world we’d both found “the one,”
Are now tired, and fake, and phony.
They are sure that we are done.
I lie awake and search for an answer,
But my head and my heart are at war.
Long gone are the days of no tears
Say my eyes that are swollen and sore.
I believed that we’d work through it somehow.
I hoped our love was stronger than it all,
But I guess when you’re up so high, my love,
There’s only a lot further to fall.
I try and remember all the good times,
But they just seem so far away.
Now I’m just tired and bitter,
And I don’t have the strength to stay.
I wanted so much for a miracle.
I tried so hard to change my view,
But it shouldn’t take a miracle
To keep me from leaving you.
For all this time, I have loved you,
Even when my heart feels filled with hate.
When I raise my voice and spew vile words,
I still love you so much that it aches.
And I will continue to love you always,
Even when we’ve both moved on.
Even when we have our own families,
I will love you, even when it’s wrong.
3. A Regret
by Charles Harpur
There’s a regret that from my bosom aye
Wrings forth a dirgy sweetness, like a rain
Of deathward love; that ever in my brain
Uttereth such tones as in some foregone way
Seem gathered from the harmonies that start
Into the dayspring, when some rarest view
Unveileth its Tempean grace anew
To meet the sun—the great world’s fervent heart.
’Tis that, though living in his tuneful day,
My boyhood might not see the gentle smile,
Nor hear the voice of Shelley; that away
His soul had journeyed, ere I might beguile
In my warm youth, by some fraternal lay,
One thought of his towards this my native isle.
4. The Grave of Love
by Thomas Love Peacock
I dug, beneath the cypress shade,
What well might seem an elfin’s grave;
And every pledge in earth I laid,
That erst thy false affection gave.
I press’d them down the sod beneath;
I placed one mossy stone above;
And twined the rose’s fading wreath
Around the sepulchre of love.
Frail as thy love, the flowers were dead
Ere yet the evening sun was set:
But years shall see the cypress spread,
Immutable as my regret.
5. Young Love
by Rimantas
I can’t cry
I can just try
To forget the pain
To make the rain in my heart fade away.
It’s just so fucking hard
When you can’t even get mad
At your dumb mistakes
When you couldn’t forget her face.
She sounded like a dream
Like a wish that couldn’t be real.
But you just wanted to let of some steam,
And weren’t able to to control how you feel.
Now the pains stuck in your heart
And tearing you apart.
You wish you would have been smart,
And wouldn’t given your heart a start
To fall in love,
To open up.
You wish you heart haven’t been warmed up,
But that’s what you call young love.
6. I Sit and Cry Over Broken Love
by Missy Tremblay
I sit and cry,
all alone.
Wondering why,
I don’t belong.
When we first hooked up,
we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.
Now it’s like all we do is
fight and argue,
And say hurtful things,
we regret later.
Why do we hurt each other so much,
if we’re supposed to be in love?
Why do we get so upset and angry,
to the point of exchanging hurtful
words that we say out of anger,
They could jeopardize the relationship completely.
It’s like we totally forgot how to be in
love and act respectful,
Instead we’re rude, hateful,
and just ungrateful.
7. I Regret Loving You
by Constance Gilmore
I will always regret loving you
I wish I never even met you
I wish my brain would cooperate
So that I could just forget you
You told me that you loved me
I was young so I believed you
You fed a hunger so insistent
That I was made to need you
I was the one that made you happy
At least that’s what you said
I was naïve to all the lies
That you were drilling in my head
Your love became abusive
Showing me I was not good enough
My life had been fairly easy
Until you turned it to something rough
Drama followed me everywhere
Tears always stained my face
Stress was the shadow
That took residence at my place
Everything I worked hard for
You turned it upside down
Every smile you ever gave me
Turned into a permanent frown
Using me up for your benefit
You took all the good that I had
I regret falling in love with you–
Now the idea of love makes me sad.
Poems about Regret and Apology
These poems of regret and apology explore the deep sense of sorrow and remorse that often accompanies the need to make amends and offer readers a powerful reflection on the power of forgiveness.
1. My Regret and Apology
by Monkals Kalu
Here’s my regret,
And apology for
Acting stupidly.
Blame me utterly,
For I wish I never
Hurt you, at least not
In such ignoble bearing.
Not to have seen the
Love in your heart with
All its ardor and beauty
Makes me feel so blind.
Father taught me
To choose my words
With prudence, if I must
Enjoy your bed and meals.
And I wish I knew that all
You needed was just those
Few honest tender words
To quench your many fears.
I wish I never uttered
Those shrilled vocables
That resurrected the witches
In the woods to solidify our doom.
My love, I learnt a lot of
Amazing things about your
Beautiful heart, but regrettably,
I didn’t learn how not to break it.
I’m sorry I broke your
Heart with terrible words.
But there weren’t really mine.
I guess the liquor in the glass
Mentored my brain to a defect
And my mouth was devoid of
Words, unless for vile desires.
Hence my regret and apology.
2. How I Feel
by Catherine Pulsifer
Words can’t express how I feel
I feel like such a heel
Please accept this apology
I caused so much difficulty.
I regret the mistakes made
If I could go back and trade
That moment in time, that day
That I hurt you in any way.
I admit I was wrong
And I’ve been stubborn all along
Please, I am sorry, I was wrong
Forgive me is my song.
3. Oh Why
by Catherine Pulsifer
Oh, why did I make you mad?
Oh, why did I make you sad?
Oh, why did I make you cry?
I ask myself why, why!
I was to focus on me
Without thinking about how you would be
It was so selfish I now see
Oh, why – what was I thinking how could I be.
There is no good excuse, there is no blame
It was my fault I say so with shame
For my mistakes, I feel like I’m stuck.
Oh why – sometimes I am such a big smuck!
The remorse I do feel for what I have done
Regret I do have – the feeling is no fun
Acknowledgment of my wrong-doing
Oh, why – what was I thinking!
The choices we make determine the day
Oh why – my choices were wrong in every way
I hope you will forgive me, that is what I pray
I am sorry for the hurt and for ruining your day.
4. Stupidity
by Matt
Every day I wake up
Hoping to get a fresh start
Praying I can undo
The mistakes I’ve done to you.
Every day it’s the same thing.
My memories come to haunt me.
I never knew it’d come to this,
And now I’m regretting it.
Basically, I’m saying sorry.
Sorry for my stupidity.
If you find it in your heart to forgive me,
I thank you with full sincerity.
But if you find it too hard to do so,
It’s all right, who can blame you?
If there’s even anyone to blame, it’s me..
Me and my stupidity.
5. Say I’m Sorry
by Catherine Pulsifer
Regrets can linger in our hearts,
We burden them they hold us down,
Things we did, words that were said,
Can all cause pain by the pound.
So say I’m sorry, apologize,
Ask forgiveness to right this wrong,
Don’t carry regret and be content,
Let those feelings be gone.
6. Three Simple Words
by Catherine Pulsifer
Three simple words
Can be worth more than gold
Saying them with meaning can bring
A change to a person, words that make us sing.
The three simple words that make such an impact
I am sorry, they can change everything, that is a fact.
Say them sincerely, from the bottom of your heart
And you will find things will soon restart.
Don’t hold back, say them soon
Don’t let problems begin to balloon
Three simple words, never forget
By saying them you will have no regret!
7. Do Stupid Things
by Catherine Pulsifer
I sometimes do some stupid things
I don’t stop and think of what it will bring
I blurt out words that I soon regret
Or take action that can upset.
If only I could change what I did
But I know that can’t be done, I will not kid
A mistake, I admit, I did make
And now here I lay wide awake
I regret what I did, if I could change it I would
Please let me make it up and do some good
A truly sincere apology I offer to you
I know I hurt you and made you blue.
I am sorry, I never meant to hurt you
You are so encouraging and supportive
Please accept my apology
Even though it may not be easy.
8. Take Me Back
by Katie
How could I be so stupid
To let you slip away?
I had you in my arms,
But I let you slip away.
I want you back,
But now it’s too late.
I’ve already said goodbye,
And now love has turned to hate.
I want to go back in time
And fix all that was wrong,
Change all of my regrets
So we didn’t fight as long.
The regrets are what messed it up,
And they were all my fault.
I was so immature;
I should have acted like an adult.
I broke my own heart
When I walked out on you.
Now it’s too late,
And I can’t undo.
I still love you,
But nobody knows
We are no longer together
Because of what I chose.
It was a bad decision,
And now I want you here.
Never far away,
Always near.
So please take me back,
And catch me when I fall
‘Cause I need you right now
More than anything at all.
Poems about Regret and Mistakes
Poems about regret and mistakes offer readers a chance to reflect on the lessons we can learn from our missteps. These poems about mistakes and regrets often explore the pain and longing that come with regret.
1. Mistakes and Regret
by Catherine Pulsifer
We have the power
to decide our fate,
Though choices can be
difficult to make.
Life is full of lessons
to learn,
Some decisions causing
anguish that burns.
Sometimes we make
mistakes and regret,
But with courage forward
is the best bet.
For our future decisions
would be wiser,
When we gained knowledge
from these regret advisories.
2. Words Unsaid
by Melanie Dawn Batac
Regretting the moments I took for granted,
Moments when I was eaten by pride and hatred.
What if I had told you what I feel?
Would it change my life’s wheel?
I was so afraid to fall in love deeply,
For mending a broken heart will never be easy.
I have been rotting in that hell before,
And I don’t want to be there anymore.
But why is my heart crying in pain?
Why do I feel that my life’s turning so plain?
Should I have told you that I love you?
Should I have showed you that it’s true?
They say some words are better left unsaid,
Emotions should be kept till they fade.
No, scratch all the cowardice and negativity,
Because saying what you feel is the real bravery.
So what if you won’t love me back?
At least there will be no what ifs in my mind.
But it’s too late for me to realize this fact,
‘Cause now you’re gone and you’ll never be mine.
3. Regretting Mistakes
by Eepesh Dewangan
Man of power
Considered
Man of ego, attitude
Not serving others with gratitude.
Later repentance
Expecting forgiveness and acceptance.
Lovable to our better half
Time impacts on our mind
Forget our older days to rewind
Treating unknown, strange or ignore.
Later repentance
Expecting forgiveness and acceptance.
Misunderstanding situations
Negative, vulgar reactions
Just because,
Bonding divides into fraction.
Later repentance
Expecting forgiveness and acceptance.
Foolish decisions
Pointing others of situation
Well, another realisation.
Another regret
And many more expectations.
Misbehaving with elders,
Either responsibility on shoulders
Or respect has died with power
Knowingly hurt and put barriers
Defining careers, undoubtedly
Undefines respect.
Directing memories of time
Expecting forgiveness and acceptance.
Games of ego
Ups and downs of attitude
Creates unconciousness in place
And unwanted expression in face
Enjoys the current wheel.
After suffers of all traps,
Expecting forgiveness and acceptance.
4. Regret
by Katherine Mansfield
Remember back on life so far
Even past regrets
Grow and learn from your mistakes
Repair the things you can
Eventually, remorse will fade
Then you can start again
5. Mistakes and Regrets
by Emizzle
No matter how hard you try
You can’t change the fact
Oh no you can’t change it
Mistakes are always a part of your life
But you do have a choice
A chance to make sure your mistakes never become your regrets
And I would reccomend that you live with no regrets
Because all they do is hold you down
Away from where you wanna be
Take a chance
Make a mistake
And move on with no regrets.
6. Regret
by Naomi Waters
People everywhere live with regrets
Wishing they could take something back or change a decision
The issue being regret exists because what we did is in the past
Once an act is committed whether you fix it or not
It stays set in stone
I suppose thats why humans created the system of apologizing
Either with true guilt on their mind or simply..
Wanting to overshadow their apathy
The point is, regret is a means to hide what we have done
Humans make mistakes and sooner or later we face them
On our own terms or not
Humanity is flawed
Poems about Regrets in Life
Life is full of missed opportunities and lost chances, and poems about regret life in life capture the sense of loss and longing that can accompany these experiences.
1. Life Is Too Short for Regrets
by Anonymous
Life does not allow a U-turn
to undo the things that are done
regretting and pondering over past
can only make the pain return
However hard you try you find
life only moves one way
you cannot change a thing of past
you only have this day
Make the most of every second
the next is just an illusion
the present moment is all you have
the future still under construction
Lay the stone of future now
for a stronger base and a future bright
make the most of the present
to take an extraordinary flight
Do not regret what’s already gone
delving over it just re-ignites the pain;
learn the lesson and move ahead
the future you need to sustain.
2. My Last Regret
by Eliza Clair
While some will end their days on this earth with no regrets
I will not
I will not have the regret of thinking I lived a perfect life
because no one does
I will not have the regret of a simple life
because it will not have been fully lived
I will not the regret of believing others are always right, or that I am
because it is impossible
I will not have the regret of throwing my life away for others
because it is foolish
I will have the regret of not helping people who will have those regrets
that will be my last regret. So I will start now, to help all that I can. So that person may leave with no regrets.
3. Regret
by Abhimanyu Kumar
I write this for regret,
And request you not to forget.
Don’t say you couldn’t do it,
Or the situation made it.
You were present and are present too,
When few can then why not you? .
Stop claiming you are right,
If you are in regret, then you were never right.
For if you were right,
Today I wouldn’t right.
Now, Is the only time and truth,
Even if you are old or an youth.
Lower yourself and try to find oneself,
Be a man and true to yourself.
Start doing it even if you have to step down,
Stop proving everything at least for sometime.
Start loving today and no hate,
Stop complaining and blame your fate.
Oh! Man be gracious and grateful,
Try to be soulful, try to be faithful.
What you do today will make your tomorrow,
Create a memory of joy and not sorrow.
You can accept even death for a while,
But not the guilt even over hundred smiles.
For, the guilt and regret are even to death,
Try not to pleasurize the happiness you get.
The days will pass and your age too,
But your character will remind the real who.
A bleeding leg or a suffering now,
Is all fine for it is only now.
Go for a life, which others must remember,
Prove it to yourself that you are not just a number.
4. Regret Stalks When…
by Catherine Pulsifer
Let the truth of truth be said,
Regret stalks when procrastination is fed.
Each should rise with vigor and will,
Determined to perform tasks until fulfilled.
Unwillingness to persevere has doom in its wake,
Much of life’s joy and hope thus we forsake.
Put off what could done today,
And hindered good fortune that could come your way.
Poems about Regret of Breakup
Break-ups are often accompanied by a deep sense of regret, and poems about this powerful emotion can offer a sense of understanding and catharsis. These regret poems relationships explore the pain and longing that come with lost love, while also offering readers a sense of hope and renewal.
1. Breakup
by North Carolina
And cigarettes and bad decisions stained into bedsheets
A good idea gone rogue in a moment by the chase and retreat
Words bitten off before they emerge and a sudden sense of regret
The ins and outs and turns and twists confined to breakup.
What feels good can’t hurt you until it’s not good anymore
Reality doesn’t touch the bedroom until someone opens the door
Grasping to skin like it’s what we had and reluctantly letting go
The push and pull of dumb ideas and a lack of self-control.
An awkward smile all the while thinking that this was a mistake
A peck of a kiss, barely a touch of the lips, and sanity far too late
Stains on the skin that the shower can’t wash, they’ve soaked down to bone
The knowledge that gasps and quiet laughs doesn’t mean we aren’t gone.
And cigarettes and bad decisions stained into bedsheets
A good idea gone rogue in a moment by the chase and retreat
Words bitten off before they emerge and a sudden sense of regret
The ins and outs and turns and twist confined to breakup.
2. Regret and Pain
by Nikita
Here I am,
Stumbling down the street
The rain’s pouring down
I’m staring at my feet
But splashing on my feet it is
My tears and not the rain
They’re salty and bloodstained
From my agonizing pain
Nobody could be more
Mad at me than me
Why was I so stupid?
Never again will she trust me
She’s asking me too many questions
Ones I want so much to ignore
But I’ve brought this on myself
What else could I have been asking for?
When I think about the way things are
The tears roll down my face
If only I could turn back time
I would’ve never ended up in this place
3. Just The End
by S.L. Gray
I regret the end.
The way we couldn’t
leave one another
without wounds.
The way we made
it seem as if
all the love we shared
was wasted time.
4. You Will Regret
by Shahinaz Soliman
You will regret
That you made me cry,
That you didn’t see the love in my eye,
That you failed my heart and didn’t even try.
You will regret, and soon you will know why…
You will regret and miss my smile
When I will be away from you a hundred or a thousand miles.
You think I am not your candidate now and not your style
You will miss my soul, my laughter; it won’t take you a while…
You will regret…believe me…I don’t want you to.
I love you, and regrets are something that I don’t wish for you
You said that I was your soul mate,
Explained our love was our great fate.
A day later I was left on the side.
All your love and care did subside.
Sorry, I didn’t know how to play your game.
To my innocence and good heart you can only blame…
You will regret that you had me one day.
You will see my picture and wonder how you didn’t stay.
You will regret that you can’t touch me anymore.
You will regret that you never truly opened your heart’s door.
You will regret me forever.
You will never see me again, never.
You will regret me today and tomorrow…
Hope you can live well with your sorrow.
Goodbye now, I have to go my way,
Goodbye now is all I have to say…
5. Goodbye
by Mitali
And suddenly my life is like a big hole
I am regretting your presence that made it whole
No one can play better now your role
I can still feel the memories flashing inside me like a camera roll
The way air perfectly placed your hair on my face with just a blew
I no longer can feel all those moments when I am blue
Reign is still fresh when you blushed accepting the rose that I buy
But it is all turned out be nostalgia of an unexpected bye.
6. Is It Too Late or Is There Still Time?
by Faith Mendez
If he is ready to date
I have no chance
I would already be too late
For there to be romance
She will complete his loneliness
And I will just be alone
She will be getting his kiss
And I’ll be unknown
I can try to win his heart
But do I have a chance
I have to play this smart
And give this love a glance
He is worth the fight
He is worth so much more
I want to make this right
But will I see the door?
As I look around and see
The pain I feel inside
I wish he would want me
To be by his side
But instead I hurt him so
And I want to make it right
I wish that he would know
He is all I think about at night
Does he think of me?
Does he feel the same?
Or is it what I see…
Is it all just a game?
So why does he do this ?
Why does he fight what is there?
Is it because he is pissed
And not thinking clear?
Or is it possible to see
That I am nothing for real?
When he looks at me
How does he really feel?
I will never know this
Because he keeps it inside
See, all this I’ll miss
If I just step on by
To read his mind one day
Would be all I need
Then there would be no game
I would just see
Does he want me to go
Walk away or at least try?
Or does he want to know
I won’t give up this time?
To find a special someone
And see them walk away
Hurts the heart a ton
Like mine does every day
I have no chance to be
The special girl in his eyes
I messed this up, you see
So all I here is goodbye
How do I walk away
From what I know could be?
What else can I say
To make him really see?
How do I get the chance
If he is looking elsewhere?
How do I get a glance
If his head is somewhere?
I know I could make this better
I could make this right
If he would just give me a chance
If he could see the light
The fact is he won’t
I am wasting my time
He will never want
My love or my mind
So I walk away in tears
I don’t look back at all
With all of the fears
I know what I saw
I know what I had
And I lost it so
I did something bad
And forgiving me is a no
So that is all
I hope he knew
I’ll be waiting for a call
Saying I need you
7. Lies
by Raelynn Deanne Pena
All those promise are lies.
I thought you said you weren’t like other guys.
I gave you my heart,
And you broke it apart.
Everything was a great big lie.
I think of you and I sigh.
Everybody warned me about you,
But I was too in love with you.
Now I know that love was lust.
Feels like my head might bust.
I can’t believe you were the one.
I’m sick of boys, just done.
Now my heart is bleeding.
I regret me and you meeting.
Sometimes I wish I would die,
But all I can say now is bye.
Poems about Regret and Guilt
These poems about guilt and regrets explore the deep sense of sorrow and remorse that often accompanies regret and offer readers a powerful reflection on the power of forgiveness.
1. It’s Done
by Ami Shae
A moment in time
that can never be retrieved–
regret and guilt
are its boundaries
forever holding it in place
as if the moment
can never fade
not even to a fair shade of grey
for the regret and guilt
hold it tight
and forever it will stay…
2. Another Day
by Kirsty Kennedy
Life gets very busy.
Things get in the way.
Do I have time to visit?
I’ll go another day.
There’s no sense of urgency.
You think you still have time
To go again another day.
You tell yourself it’s fine.
Until you realize you’re too late.
Another day won’t come.
The truth too hard to contemplate.
The past can’t be undone.
Your heart, it aches for all the times
You never got to see
This person you loved so much,
But you were never free.
You’ll never hear their voice again
Or look into their eyes.
People will say it’s for the best
But to you it feels like a lie.
Your loved one is at peace now
With the ones they had lost.
You have to make peace somehow
With this devastating loss.
Stop thinking it will all be fine
Or that you don’t have time today,
For all you know, you won’t have time
To go another day.
3. Might Have Been
by Grantland Rice
Here’s to “The days that might have been”;
Here’s to “The life I might have led”;
The fame I might have gathered in–
The glory ways I might have sped.
Great “Might Have Been,” I drink to you
Upon a throne where thousands hail–
And then–there looms another view–
I also “might have been” in jail.
O “Land of Might Have Been,” we turn
With aching hearts to where you wait;
Where crimson fires of glory burn,
And laurel crowns the guarding gate;
We may not see across your fields
The sightless skulls that knew their woe–
The broken spears–the shattered shields–
That “might have been” as truly so.
“Of all sad words of tongue or pen”–
So wails the poet in his pain–
The saddest are, “It might have been,”
And world-wide runs the dull refrain.
The saddest? Yes–but in the jar
This thought brings to me with its curse,
I sometimes think the gladdest are
“It might have been a blamed sight worse.”
4. Regret
by Olivia Ward Bush-Banks
I said a thoughtless word one day,
A loved one heard and went away;
I cried: “Forgive me, I was blind;
I would not wound or be unkind.”
I waited long, but all in vain,
To win my loved one back again.
Too late, alas! to weep and pray,
Death came; my loved one passed away.
Then, what a bitter fate was mine;
No language could my grief define;
Tears of deep regret could not unsay
The thoughtless word I spoke that day.
5. Death, My Loyal Friend
by Emilee C. Wells
When I was born, I was dying for warmth,
And as I grew, I was dying again.
Dying for affection, for love.
I was dying simply for a friend.
Though I got all of these,
I was always dying for more.
Dying to get older,
Dying to escape life’s pause.
I was dying to find someone,
Dying to settle down,
Dying to be happier,
To have someone to wrap around.
I continued dying every day
Until I hit 99 and grew weak.
I was dying to see my family,
Dying not to fade; this I began to seek.
And then I saw it in that light.
I was finally dying for something to give,
And I knew that I had been dying for so long
That I forgot how to live.
6. Regret and Guilt
by Ami Shae
regret and guilt
eat me alive at times
wishing so much
i could undo
all of my crimes–
so many things
from my past it seems
all the huge mistakes i’ve made
seem to haunt my vivid dreams
and oh the pain, the fear
that constantly encompass me
whenever I think that one day
all in this world will be able to see…
but there is no undoing
that can possibly be done
to mine own undoing
you see, i’m the one
who committed the acts of sin
and no one can help me now
no one can let me go back and begin
to try to undo what’s done somehow…
so off i go trodding through
until the end of time
when my days will come to an end
**and all will know my sins, my crime…
7. Sonnet 134
by William Shakespeare
So, now I have confess’d that he is thine,
And I myself am mortgag’d to thy will,
Myself I’ll forfeit, so that other mine
Thou wilt restore to be my comfort still:
But thou wilt not, nor he will not be free,
For thou art covetous, and he is kind;
He learn’d but surety-like to write for me,
Under that bond that him as fast doth bind.
The statute of thy beauty thou wilt take,
Thou usurer, that putt’st forth all to use,
And sue a friend came debtor for my sake;
So him I lose through my unkind abuse.
Him have I lost; thou hast both him and me:
He pays the whole, and yet am I not free.
Poems about Regret and Forgiveness
Forgiveness is often the key to moving beyond regret, and poems about regret and forgiveness can be deeply cathartic. These poems explore the power of forgiveness to heal our wounds and offer readers a sense of hope and redemption.
1. Forgiveness Ties Regret in Woe
by Jia Ming
Forgiveness ties Regret in woe,
especially Today—
for shall a Foe toe through a Row,
express Itself not may.
And whence bewatched the timing spare,
Below should postings go—
but upside-down the Turtle’s lair,
as only One would know.
2. Forgive The Regret
by Samantha Garnett
I filled with regret
When I saw your face
You were so upset
For your anger I braced
But it never came
You saw me through your tears
Saw I couldn’t hide the shame
That I would bear for years
Because of it I still live
Because of it you forgive
3. Despaired Forgiveness
by Nashy Lamen
Enraged eyes of fire and doom,
To no extent I’ve made a sin,
To no forgiveness I broke their trust,
And I know I must regain… I must.
I have deceived and I am cursed,
I’ve tried no tries; I’ve made it worse,
My guilt has drowned me in my lies,
And now my damaged conscience cries.
So here I sit in silence, blind,
There’s no solution I can find,
I am trapped in broken glass,
As time and chances pass by fast.
I’m so sorry, so nonsense I know,
Useless, I see,
Cause I’ve done much wrong,
So tragically.
I don’t know what to do anymore,
Without you, I’m wept of my shore,
Without you guys, I’m an empty hole,
Endless, sorrows and regrets to roll.
I’ve said things that I did not intend,
Can you still try to comprehend?
Or there’s no use in my beseech,
There’s none to beg, there’s none to teach.
I’ve done my wrong, my pang of guilt,
I’ve sunken down, ensconced in filth,
To no forgiveness I broke their trust,
And I know I must regain… I must.
And now I must regain, I must.
4. Regret
by Vanillin Villain
seething, as the sour fruit
bleeds its poison along my tongue.
leaden with the weight of memory the heart–
but twice too much.
a day? an error? a mood? the regret of–
but twice too late.
5. The Art of Forgiveness
by The Art of Forgiveness
The art of forgiveness begins when you forgive someone.
It is having a humble spirit and being done with pride and self-pity.
It is taking a step toward the practice of forgiveness. Hate is death, forgiveness is life.
Forgiveness works the miracle of change.
When Lincoln was asked why he did not destroy his enemies he replied: “If I make my enemies my friends, don’t I then destroy them?”
When you forgive you change others and you change yourself? You change discord to harmony.
Forgiveness should span the years.
You should first forgive yourself for the wrongs you’ve done to yourself and others, for the mistakes you’ve made.
Then you should forgive and bless all those who have wronged you during your lifetime.
Thus, you release others and you release yourself. You break the chains of regret and remorse that bind you.
You free your mind from the burdens of the past so you may walk victoriously into the future.
Forgiveness works two ways.
You must forgive to be forgiven.
“He who cannot forgive others,” wrote Edward Herbert, “breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass; for every man has the need to be forgiven.”
Forgiveness should become a habit.
When the Master was asked how often we should forgive, he answered:
“Until seventy time seven.” He who forgives to infinity will never hate.
Forgiveness should start now.
Putting off forgiving only deepens the wound. Clinging to bitterness postpones happiness.
Life is short, time is fleeting. Today is the day to forgive.
Forgiveness is the way to personal peace.
It is performing mental surgery on yourself, probing deep within to remove hurts, grudges, and resentments.
It is forgetting wrongs as though they had never been. It is flooding your mind with the powerful medicine of forgiveness that cleanses and heals.
It is discovering a serenity you’ve never known before.
6. The Time to Forgive and Forget
by S. E. Gordon
Forgive and forget! ‘Tis a maxim worth heeding,
Recall the harsh judgment so hasty and stern;
Not one of us all but is certainly needing
Some friendly forbearance and grace in return.
Unkindness and malice are weeds that grow thickly,
But patience and love may transform them to flowers;
Remember our journey is over too quickly
To waste on ill-feeling a tithe of its hours.
Forgive and forget! Let the bitter thought perish,
Life does not lack sorrow more weighty, more real;
And in the sharp sting of resentment, why cherish
The thorn that must rankle where pardon might heal?
Forgive and forget! For we know not how often
‘Twill spare us the pang of an endless regret.
Don’t wait for the future your anger to soften,
Oh, now is the time to forgive and forget.
7. These Drops of Sweet Sorry
by Cory Jones
If you listen….
Just a little closer
And if you would stay….
Just a moment longer
You might be able to hear
These drops of regret
Fall into the bucket
And you might be able to see
These drops of sweet “sorry”
Filling up the bottle
I told myself this is
No fault of my own
And blamed it on your fear
Of being alone
But if I bring you….
Just a little closer
And if I could hold you….
Just a moment longer
I might be able to take back
Those drops of regret
And empty that bucket
And I might be able to soak up
Those drops of sweet “sorry”
And break open that bottle
We made this fairy tale
Into a very short story
You deserved a much better ending
And for this….
I’m very very sorry.
Final Thoughts
We all feel regret at some point in our lives, and it is a common emotion. It is a strong feeling that can motivate us to take stock of the past and make wise decisions for the future.
Poetry about regret can be a useful tool for working through these difficult feelings and finding comfort in the knowledge that we are not alone in our struggles.
Several poems examine the subject of regret in various ways, from well-known works by well-known poets to brief, moving phrases.
In the end, these poems about regret serve as a reminder to accept our regrets as necessary components of our journey and to use them as fuel for our own personal progress.
So did you like these regret poems? Let us know in the comments!
